


who's that girl

by WritingQuill



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: (or is it Roux?), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, BB8 is a cat, Background GingerRose, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, HEA, M/M, POV Multiple, The New Girl AU no one asked for, a tropefest fam, also Millicent is there, background stormpilot, episodic, like so much fluff honestly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:40:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24829963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingQuill/pseuds/WritingQuill
Summary: ~ the New Girl au no one asked for ~Rey Kanata finds herself single and homeless which leads her to move into a loft with three guys, Poe, Hux, and Ben, and their ginger cats. Hilarity ensues as Rey attempts to navigate life as a single woman in San Francisco, balancing her work with her new life as part of a family of misfits in this ridiculous loft with these ridiculous guys. Oh, and she just might fall in love with one of her roommates on the way.Who's that girl...? It's Rey!
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 18
Kudos: 55





	1. Prologue: Two weeks ago

**Author's Note:**

> For the past month, I watched New Girl the whole way through twice. TWICE! So, I figured I'd call it research and write a fanfic inspired by it. This is my first real go at writing for this fandom (disregarding a previous attempt which I abandoned then deleted) so please be kind! 
> 
> Say hi to me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/writingquill1)!
> 
> For an idea of the aesthetic I'm going for with the characters, check out my [pinterest](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/marianamorearte/boards/)! 
> 
> Thanks for reading xxxxx

_Two weeks ago…_

‘I can’t believe I’m doing this!’ Rey says excitedly to Finn over the phone. She hears him chuckle on the other end. 

‘I know! You workin’ it, girl!’ Finn laughs. ‘So you’re just… in a trench coat? Nothing else?’ 

‘Nope!’ she said, emphasis on the P. ‘Beau is going to be so surprised! He’s been saying our sex is too vanilla, so you can imagine how happy he’ll be when I get home two days early in my birthday suit, wink wink nudge nudge.’ Finn laughs again on the other end and lets out sexy whistle. 

‘He better be excited! A gorgeous girl like you offering herself like a damn Christmas present? That boy would be crazy not to ravish you right there!’ 

‘Here’s to hoping! Anyway, the Lyft is just pulling over, I’ll call you later.’ 

‘All right, girl, good luck!’ 

Rey sighs with a huge smile on her face as she picks at her nails. She has been in New York for a work conference this past week, and when the opportunity to come back to San Francisco early presented itself, she knew it would be the perfect chance to rekindle the flame that had dulled down in her relationship with Beau. She knows this is going to work, and she can hardly believe she’s sitting in the back of a Lyft car wearing nothing but a trenchcoat to surprise her unsuspecting boyfriend with sexytimes! She blushes at the thought, but puts on a brave face. If Beau wanted to get more… kinky… then Rey could do it. People did it all the time! They bought toys and… candles? And other things to spice up their sex lives. 

The driver pulls up in front of their house in the suburbs. Rey pays and takes her small suitcase from the boot, then walks over to let herself in and set up her surprise. 

‘Beau? I’m home, baby!’ she announces in the sultriest voice she can muster. She’s in the middle of the living room, doing a kind of two step dance with a little bit of a hip thing. She’s not an amazing dancer, but surely anything is sexy when you’re naked? 

She hears a yelp coming from their bedroom, and the door opens to reveal a befuddled-looking Beau with bed hair and his face all flushed. Rey ignores all that and starts walking towards him slowly, playing with the belt of the trenchcoat sexily. 

‘Hey, baby, ready to have a good time?’ she says, again in her husky voice. Beau’s eyes widen. 

‘Rey!? What are you doing home? You weren’t due back until Friday!’ he asks. Rey shrugs while pulling open her trenchcoat. 

‘I wanted to surprise you, baby,’ she says. Rey pulls open one side of the trenchcoat. 

‘Rey, wait—’

‘I know you wanted us to be a little more adventurous, so I—’ 

‘Beau? Who’s there?’ 

As Rey lets the trenchcoat fall at her feet revealing her naked body, a tall redhead appears behind Beau, wearing only a tank top and panties. Rey yelps and stares at them in disbelief. 

‘Rey—’ 

‘Oh my god!’ 

… 

And that’s how Rey ends up single and homeless in the span of five minutes.


	2. Chapter One: New Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hi to me on [twitter!](https://twitter.com/writingquill1)

Rey’s standing by the entrance of the building clutching a piece of paper in her hands. It has the address on it with “ask for Hux” underneath in Finn’s handwriting. Finn had helped her find this place on Craigslist, and it was the best that they could find based on what she could afford. Rey hasn’t lived with roommates since dorms in college, so this is pretty scary, but she is excited. She needs to start moving on from her heartbreak, and meeting new people, living in a new place… All that will help her to move on. Even if it’s three girls she’s never met before. 

She presses the buzzer and is let in a few seconds later. She lets out a nervous breath and makes for the elevator to take her to the fourth floor. This building almost looks like it used to be a factory of some sort, and it’s way closer to the school she works at than their… her… _Beau’s_ house. So she’s excited! She is! This will be good! 

The loft is to the right of the elevator, and Rey’s intrigued to see what it looks like. There weren’t any pictures on the ad, just descriptions of the rooms and amenities, but she’s never been in a loft before, so she’s interested to see if it will look like all the cool loft-style apartments she’s seen on TV and in the magazines she browses in the waiting room of her gyno’s office. From the outside, it looks like the windows are big and wide, and let a ton of sun in, which sounds amazing. She’s already planning where she’s going to put her plants around the loft and her room. She hopes the other girls are okay with that. 

Rey knocks and a few moments later, the door opens, revealing a broad chest encased in a red plaid flannel shirt. Rey looks up and up and up, finally reaching a face. His face. Of this man. Who likely lives here. In this loft. Where she is hoping she can live too. 

_Oh no…_ she thinks with dread. 

He looks at her with a raised eyebrow, his mouth parted ever so slightly. His… wide, pink, plush mouth. On his face. Which is… a great face. Large Patrician nose, sharp cheekbones, kind of a scruffy-looking goatee, beauty marks and freckles. He has large ears under his messy, soft-looking hair. And he is so tall. _Oh no…_

‘Are you… Ray?’ he asks, in a deep baritone that makes her toes curl a little bit. She suppresses a shiver and nods. 

‘Um, it’s Rey actually. With an E,’ she explains. She feels too small under his gaze, too hot in her red sundress, and too ridiculous in her three hair buns. She brings one hand to her ear to play with her piercings while trying not to squirm under his scrutiny. She can tell he’s confused by her presence. Likely, much like she thought he would be a girl, he thought she would be a man. ‘Are you… hm, Hux?’

He huffs and shakes his head. ‘No, that’s my roommate. He placed the ad. I’m Ben, come on in, I guess,’ he says, and moves to the side to let her in. So she goes. Into the loft. With Ben. Tall Ben with the great hair. 

_Awesomesauce._

She looks around the room as she enters. It’s a wide, open-plan space, with a living room, dining room and kitchen all surrounded by the huge wide windows Rey was daydreaming about on the elevator. The loft is a corner unit, which means they have two walls of windows that let in so much light she can barely believe. It’s kind of messy in that way guys’ apartments are always a little bit messy, but also nice and very, very clean. Exposed brick walls, a cosy-looking brown leather sectional, some bookshelves and some decorations. Standing by the sofa are two other guys. Internally, Rey sighs again. Of course they’re all guys. That’s just her luck. 

There’s a redhead guy who is maybe an inch or so shorter than Ben, wearing a full-on suit and looking very serious. His hair is a little messy and he has a reasonably thick beard, but otherwise he looks incredibly put-together to an almost intimidating degree. 

The other guy is quite a bit shorter than Ben and the Redhead. He’s got thick brown hair that’s a little curly but perfectly coiffed, and is clean shaven. He’s wearing a bright shirt with a fun, bird-themed pattern, and slim grey slacks cuffed at the ankle. He stared at her in shock for a few seconds before his eyes became mirthful and his smile large and happy. 

‘This is Rey with an E,’ Ben announces to them. ‘Rey, this is Hux, the guy you’ve been emailing,’ he points at the Redhead, ‘and this is Poe,’ he points at Smiley. 

‘Hi,’ she says sheepishly, offering a small hand wave. 

‘This is wonderful! A girl! What a fun surprise,’ says Poe, chuckling. ‘Come on in, girl, have a seat.’ He leads Rey to an Eames chair that’s in the corner of the living room facing the sofa, next to the TV. ‘Poe Dameron, nice to meet you,’ he offers a hand which she shakes. 

‘Rey Kanata,’ she says. 

‘Armitage Hux, nice to meet you. Apologies for the miscommunication,’ Hux says, also shaking her hand. Rey shrugs. 

‘It’s all right, I don’t mind.’ And she really doesn’t. She doesn’t mind that they’re guys, and that she’ll be living in a guy apartment. She feels… good here. Safe. She likes the vibes they’re giving her, they seem so trustworthy, and her instincts are telling her to trust them, and that good things will come from living here. She wants to live here, with these three mis-matched guys in this large, bright, mis-matched apartment. She smiles widely at them. ‘This place is incredible.’ 

‘Thanks,’ says Poe. ‘We’ve lived here for a while now, but our buddy Mitaka moved in with his girlfriend, so…here we are.’ 

‘Rey, why don’t you go get a drink, make yourself comfortable,’ says Hux, then gestures at himself and the other two guys. ‘We need to have a little chat.’ 

‘Sure,’ says Rey. She knows they’re going to talk about her, but she goes anyway, still keeping an ear out so she can hear them. 

Upon closer inspection, the kitchen is really nice. Clearly someone here is pretty obsessive with cleanliness, because every little corner is impeccably clean. The appliances all look pretty decent, but not well-used, so she imagines the guys likely don’t clean very often. Could she bribe them with the promise of cupcakes? As she pays attention to the hushed words coming faintly from the living room, she busies herself with inspecting some apples on the counter by the microwave. 

‘She’s a girl!’ whispers Hux. She hears a snort that sounds like Ben’s which makes her smile. Poe groans. 

‘So what? Don’t be such a dick, everyone we’ve met has been either a douche or a weirdo. She seems relatively normal, so what if she’s a girl?’ 

‘Look, man, I don’t want to live with a girl, okay? After work, I just want to come home, drink some whisky and lay around in my shorts, I can’t do that with little miss sunshine hanging about!’ counters Hux. 

‘That’s why we have bedrooms, Hux, so we can hang brain freely. Do you think I enjoy looking at your pasty legs when I come back from the office? She’s here, she can pay the rent, she’s normal, just let it go, dude,’ says Poe. 

Rey bites on the corner of her nail, facing away from the living room as she leans on the counter to listen to their conversation. She really wants to live here. It’s such a beautiful place, and honestly — she thinks she’ll feel really safe living with these guys. Especially Ben who looks like he could fight five people at once. She’s never lived alone in California, and this place? It’s perfect. She sighs. 

‘What do you think, Ben? Be the tie-breaker here,’ she hears Hux say. She thinks he sounds a bit smug which probably means he thinks Ben will be on his side. She really hopes he saw something in her that will make him want her to stay. 

Ben groans. ‘I don’t like solving disputes between the two of you, you know that,’ he says. 

‘Come on, Benjamin, just say — yes or no to a girl moving in?’ asks Poe. 

A beat. Another. There is silence that she imagines as a stare-off between the three of them. 

‘Ugh, fine. I don’t care, we’ll talk to her, and if she’s cool, she can stay,’ he finally says, and Poe makes a woop noise. Rey gasps and claps her hands quietly while doing a little dance. She moves over to the sink and leans back, smiling widely at the huge windows on the opposite wall. She hasn’t really smiled in over two weeks, so now, this? This is the next step into her shedding her past with Beau, getting over her heartbreak and becoming independent. She can do this! She’s earned this! 

After some more talk in hushed tones, the guys walk towards the kitchen and stand across from her behind the stainless steel island. She smiles at them, but only Poe smiles back. 

‘All right, Rey,’ sighs Hux, ‘tells us a bit about yourself, then.’

Poe drops in before she begins, ‘you are being strongly considered, but we need to know a bit more about you first. And you can ask your own questions as well.’ 

Rey nods. ‘Well, um, I moved to San Francisco with my boyfriend Beau, but we, um, broke up a couple weeks ago. I’m from Portland, and I teach Maths, mechanics and robotics at a middle school about thirty minutes from here,’ she says. No need to mention the trenchcoat and the cheating and the embarrassment. ‘I sing in the shower a lot, I like to watch Dirty Dancing when I’m sad, and I love to bake. That’s about it, I think’ she finishes with a small laugh and a shrug. 

‘Sorry about your break-up,’ says Poe. Ben and Hux stand quietly by him. Hux eyes her with suspicion, eyes narrow and mouth in a pout, while Ben looks… pensive? She can’t really explain it, but she doesn’t hate it. ‘But it’s cool that you’re handy! The three of us are useless at repairing anything!’ 

‘I fixed the sink just last week!’ argues an affronted Ben, and Poe snorts. 

‘Barely,’ he whispers. Rey giggles at them. ‘Anyway, any questions for us? You know about rent and utilities, parking, et cetera. Anything else?’ 

‘Um, yes, actually. What do you guys do? How much time do you spend in the apartment?’ 

They exchange glances and Poe decides to go first. ‘I’m an attorney with the ACLU. I work pretty long hours, depending on the case. And I like to party, if you know what I mean,’ he winks at which Ben and Hux roll their eyes, ‘so you might see me the least.’ 

Hux follows, ‘I’m a financial officer at the state auditor’s office. Standard 9-5, though I have to travel for work a few weeks out of the year.’ Rey nods. Good to know they seem to have pretty solid schedules. They have such grownup jobs! She looks at Ben, who goes next. 

He clears his throat and looks around at the three of them. ‘I’m a bartender,’ he says. To Rey, he seems like the quiet one of the three. ‘And I do some freelance software development on the side.’ 

‘Whoa, cool! You all have such interesting jobs!’ she says animatedly. ‘Look, I really want to live here. You guys seem really cool, and I like this place a lot. I think I’ll be a great fit. What do you say?’ 

The guys exchange looks and she’s almost nervous for a minute. But she knows she needs to be confident. Rey straightens her back and smiles, trying to give off all the best vibes. 

Ben and Poe end up staring at Hux, who is looking at the ceiling. He lets out a deep sigh. ‘Fine. You know what? Fine. Sure, Rey, you can move in.’ 

Rey nearly squeals, though she does jump in her excitement. ‘Oh my god, thank you thank you! I’ll bake you guys so many muffins!’ Poe laughs with her and claps his hand. 

‘Excellent, let me show you around the loft,’ he says. ‘You’ll be living in the room across from Ben’s.’ She looks over at Ben, who is busy grabbing a drink from the fridge. She smiles, really happy to have a place to call her own, and hopefully new friends to boot. A promising new start. 

~*~

Poe shows her around the loft. Her room is beautiful, sunny, full of brightness. She loves it. Poe and Ben stay in the rooms across the hall from hers, sharing a wall. Hux’s room is the smaller one near the kitchen, which Poe says he took because it was the most private. He shows her briefly into their rooms — Poe’s is really neat, well groomed, with a graffiti design on one of the walls, though his room screams _bachelor_ a bit too much for her personal taste; Ben’s room on the other hand is the definition of organised chaos, books and papers everywhere the eye can see, with a desk at the far end under the window that contains a massive computer with three screens, and a few posters of bands and festivals scattered on the walls. Rey is excited thinking about how she’s going to organise her own room. There’s a laundry room at the end of the hall, with a washer _and_ a drier, which is really exciting, and the bathroom next to the laundry room is incredibly spacious, though it oddly contains two urinals and an actual bathroom stall. Like a public restroom. Weird. There’s a shelf filled with beauty products (that Rey guesses, based on the personalities she’s observed so far, belong to Poe) and underneath the towels hang from hooks on the wall. 

At the end of the tour, she is surprised by the visit of the cats that Hux mentioned in the ad. The all ginger one is Hux’s, according to Poe, and it’s called Millicent. She is sweet though kind of grumpy, and spends most of her days dosing my the windowsill in Hux’s bedroom. The orange-and-white cat is Poe’s, and it’s called Beebee, the more social of the two cats, though she mostly likes to hang out in the bathroom for no known reason. 

She pets the cats who are now circling her legs and sniffing her shoes, and smiles at her new roommates. 

‘Thank you so much, guys, I can’t wait to move in!’ 

‘I’ll send you the paperwork to sign,’ says Hux and Rey nods at him. 

‘I’m around most days,’ says Ben, in that guarded way of his that is just totally endearing. ‘So if you need a hand moving in, let me know.’ 

‘That’s really kind, thank you, Ben!’ she smiles and he shrugs, scowling slightly, and Rey thinks that he might be a little grumpy, but he’s also kind of sweet. 

As Rey makes her way out, she thanks them again, promising to see them the following week when she moves in. She texts Finn straight away to tell him about the loft, and she’s really so excited for what the future holds for the first time in a really long time. Feels almost like… hope. 

~*~

The following Saturday, she loads up her things into Finn’s Mini Cooper and the U-Haul they rented for the day, and they make their way to her new apartment. Finn had been apprehensive at first at the prospect of Rey living with three guys who were essentially Strangers She Met On The Internet, but Rey assured him that it was fine and they were good, normal guys. They had all exchanged numbers before she left the week before, so on Thursday she texted Ben to see if the offer to help her move was still on the table. He texted a simple “ _Sure._ ” and that was that. 

‘Can’t wait to see your new place, Rey, you’ve been talking it up so much!’ says Finn as he drives. Rey is fiddling with the radio buttons trying to find something good to listen to on the drive over. 

‘I know!’ she says, settling on some classic rock station that’s mostly inoffensive to the ears. ‘I hope you like the guys, they seem really nice.’ 

‘What about Mr Tall Dark and Quiet?’ asks Finn, wiggling his eyebrows at her before turning back to watch the road. Rey groans. 

‘Nothing at all! Besides, he’s my roommate, so even if I did find him attractive, it’s not like anything could happen,’ Rey reasons, ‘plus, I just got out of a long-term relationship, I can’t even think about jumping into the deep end of the dating pool with no floaties. I need some time.’ 

Finn shrugs beside her. ‘Suit yourself, but I’ll be watching,’ he adds with a wink. Rey snorts and shakes her head at him. 

She means what she said, though. Nothing can happen between her and any of her roommates. Strictly platonic at every turn! Being the only woman in the apartment will be difficult enough without adding sexual tension into the mix. She wants to be friends with these guys. Yes, even Tall Handsome Ben, who is quiet and a little grumpy and a lot hot. 

They arrive five minutes past the ETA she gave Ben when she texted him this morning, so he’s already waiting for them at the building entrance when Finn parks on the curb. Before they exit the car, Finn gives Ben a double take and turns to Rey with the widest eyes. ‘THAT’s your new roommate? Girl, he’s _foine_!’ 

‘Shut up.’ She swats him on the arm. 

‘How are you ever going to live with that man? The lumberjack look is really doing it for me. You think he swings my way?’

‘Ugh, shut up, Finn, I don’t know nor do I care about any of my roommates’ sexualities, okay? Just help me move this stuff and be quiet!’ 

Finn’s right though, Ben looks just as good today as he had the week before. He is wearing a green plaid shirt open at the front with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow and a dark grey T-shirt underneath that is far tighter than a simple T-shirt needs to be, showing off his pecs really wonderfully. Not that Rey notices. She does notice however that his goatee is gone, and he looks younger and… almost softer without it. 

Rey shakes her head and waves at Ben as she closes the passenger door. Ben approaches them in a few strides of his impossibly long legs. 

‘Thanks so much for doing this, Ben,’ she says, trying to convey how much she appreciates his time. He simply shrugs. He shrugs a lot, Rey notices. He also seems to always have one hand in one of his pockets at any given time. 

‘It’s no problem. Happy to help with anything you need,’ he says. ‘Any furniture in the U-Haul?’

‘Yes, hm, my bedframe and a dresser only, everything else is boxes. I think everything is labeled though,’ she says. She then turns to Finn. ‘Hm, Ben, this is my friend Finn. I was staying with him these past few weeks.’ 

Finn smirks as he offers his hand to Ben, who shakes it quickly. ‘Nice to meet you, Ben. Rey was going on and on about her new roommates.’ 

She thinks she spots a faint blush on Ben’s cheeks, but it must just be the sun. He clears his throat. 

‘Nice to meet you too. Hm, yeah, we’re looking forward to having her around,’ he says. ‘Shall we get started then? Need to give you enough time to unpack as well.’ 

‘Yes!’ Rey pumps her fist in the air. ‘Let’s do this!’ 

~*~

It takes them about two hours and around two thousand elevator trips to completely unload the car and the U-Haul, all thanks to Ben’s ability to carry three boxes at once in his huge arms. At some point during the move, he loses his flannel shirt and goes around in only that tight T-shirt, which makes Finn smirk for the entire rest of the afternoon. Rey rolls her eyes at her friend and tries not to ogle her new roommate’s frankly impressive biceps straining under his shirtsleeves. 

By the time she is all moved in, Rey is exhausted. She can feel every drop of sweat in her body and she is absolutely parched. She and Finn lean against the front door when they close it for the last time, breathing heavily as they try to recover from such strenuous box-lifting. Ben comes out of her bedroom where he deposited the last couple boxes looking a little sweaty, but otherwise completely undisturbed by the exercise. He must work out a lot to maintain that physique. Not that Rey notices. 

‘Need anything else?’ he asks, rubbing his hands together to get off some of the dust. Rey shakes her head with a relieved smile. 

‘That’s everything. Thank you so much, Ben, it would have taken us twice as long if not longer without your help.’

Ben shoots her a small smile. ‘As I said, happy to help. Beer?’ He points towards the kitchen. She and Finn nod eagerly and go sit on the sofa. 

‘So where are the other two?’ asks Finn, toeing off his shoes by coffee table in front of the sofa. Rey massages her own neck, groaning a bit at the small relief. 

‘Hux is spending the day with his Not-Girlfriend, Rose, and Poe is in the office preparing for a case on Monday. He’ll be home soon,’ explains Ben, carrying three bottles of beer in his hands, handing two of them to Rey and Finn. Rey moans as she takes a sip. It’s ice cold, perfectly crisp and hoppy, and all she needed after a long moving day. Finn seems to be enjoying his as well, even though he is more of a tequila-on-the-rocks kind of guy. 

‘“Not-Girlfriend”?’ asks Finn. Rey grimaces a bit, because her friend is so nosy, lives for any gossip he can find, and she loves him but she does not need him needling his new roommates for info. Ben doesn’t seem to mind though, as he just gives yet another shrug before sipping his beer. 

‘It’s complicated, and extremely irritating,’ he says. Then turns to Rey. ‘She’s a good friend of mine though, so you’ll probably meet her at some point. She’s always hanging around.’ 

‘Cool, I can’t wait,’ she smiles. Ben nods and takes another sip. 

They chat a bit more, mostly Finn and Rey talking about living in San Francisco, what’s good in this neighbourhood and Finn’s work as a photographer. Ben offers very little unless asked, but he does explain that he and Poe are childhood friends, while he met Hux in college ten years ago where they were assigned as dormates. Rey didn’t make many friends at the Oregon Institute of Technology, definitely none she bothered to keep post-graduation, so it’s nice to see that Ben and Hux’s friendship is strong enough to survive graduating into adulthood together. 

‘So when Poe moved to the city after Law school to join ACLU, we decided to move in together. He was graduating from Stanford. Mitaka, Hux, and I were at Berkeley, so it just made sense that we all lived together,’ Ben finishes. 

Rey had to admit she was a little intimidated by her roommates and their fancy colleges, but the guys seemed really down to earth despite all that. Maz, her adoptive mom, always told her what matters most is not what you have but what you do with it, posh titles and brand-name degrees didn’t matter as much as integrity and good character, which all her roommates seem to have, so she isn’t worry that they’ll belittle her for her polytechnic degree or her less-than-fortunate upbringing. 

After about an hour, Finn decides to head home. Rey makes sure he’s okay with returning the U-Haul, which of course he is, and they hug before he leaves (winking at Ben’s direction on his way out, of course.) It’s around five in the afternoon, so the apartment in cast in a rosy golden sunset light that makes everything look warm and cosy. She almost doesn’t want to go and unpack her things, she just wants to lie on the sofa and take a nap under the late afternoon sun. She sighs dramatically and looks towards her room. 

‘Well, I guess it’s unpacking time,’ she says. Ben stands up as well. 

‘You need any help?’ 

‘No, thanks, I think I’ve taken up your day more than enough.’ 

Ben gives her a small smile. ‘As I said, I don’t mind helping. But since you’re good to go, I’m gonna go get a shower then head to work.

Rey gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. ‘I thought it was your day off! Why did you help if you were going to work later? Ben!’ 

He chuckles, which is a beautiful sound indeed, almost too much. He shakes his head at her. ‘I skipped the gym today, so this was my workout. Don’t worry about it.’ He moves to walk into his bedroom presumably to get ready for his shower. ‘I’ll see you around, yeah?’ 

‘Yes. Thanks again, so much!’ 

‘No worries. Good night, Rey.’ 

‘Night, Ben,’ she smiles at him. He walks away and straightens herself, gathering her courage to tackle her mountain of boxes in her room. After, she’ll take a nice, hot shower and sink into her bed for at least twelve hours. 

This is good.


	3. Chapter Two: Wedding Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired/informed by the New Girl episode "Wedding" (s01e03). 
> 
> You can [click here](https://writingquill.tumblr.com/post/622403558169509888/w-h-o-s-t-h-a-t-g-i-r-l-chapter-aesthetic) for the aesthetic of the wedding, the outfits the characters are wearing and some other bits and pieces. (Side note on Rey's dress: it's inspired by Daisy's turquoise Vivienne Westwood dress, but I made it shorter since it's an afternoon wedding party.) There's also a chapter-specific [pinterest board](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/marianamorearte/whos-that-girl-chapter-2/), so feel free to check it out!
> 
> You can also follow [this link](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ZeEMG2LVbx8MAZZUCMxSH?si=qsUSYlk_Tv6QxfZgwPY_ww) for a wedding party playlist I made on spotify. 
> 
> Enjoy x

The Griffin is _almost_ a dive bar. It’s dark and a little dingy, the walls are either wallpapered or wood panelled, the carpet is some shade of maroon that probably used to be red about three decades ago, and the juke box is older than most of the bar’s patrons. But it has charm. It has… _je nes sais quoi_ , which Rey isn’t fully sure she knows what it means exactly, but she thinks it applies to this bar, with its leather upholstered high stools and speakeasy vibe. The patrons are an odd mix of young professionals like her and her roommates, and grizzly old men with beards that always look about two seconds away from screaming at children to get off their lawn. It’s nice. Rey likes The Griffin, almost as much as she likes that she is part of the group hanging out there three to four times a week, drinking free booze that Ben pours them in between looking after customers. 

Rey can admit now that she has not been the most… considerate roommate. After moving in and setting up her room two weeks ago, it was like a wave of grief had washed over her, like her body finally allowed her to feel sad that her long term relationship ended in a mushroom cloud. Her first week in the loft, she’d been a mess. She cried and watched _Dirty Dancing_ fifteen times a day and she ate whipped cream straight from the can. Eventually it was Poe who forced her into a not-pyjama-outfit and brought her to the bar, where he, Hux and Ben managed to cheer her up and bring her back to life. And since then, it was a little ritual. She would hang out at the loft and if Ben was working that night, they would all pile into a Lyft and come to The Griffin. 

Little by little she gets past her grief. She smiles spontaneously again. She feels a weight lifted off her shoulders. Rey is… happy. 

Tonight, however, the conversation is anything but happy, as Hux and Poe sit on either side of Rey, arguing over some wedding they had been invited to. Ben is at the end of the bar, mixing a fancy cocktail and chatting mindlessly with the woman across from him, a leggy blonde who is being outrageously flirty, though Rey doesn’t think Ben notices. He’s wearing another flannel tonight, with two buttons open at the collar. It’s brown and blue, and it makes his skin look really creamy under the dim lights of the bar. Not that Rey is paying attention to her roommate’s complexion or clothing choices or anything really. She turns to look at Hux, who is still complaining about… whatever it is he finds so objectionable about this wedding. 

‘… I know she has her own invite, but I have a plus one, and it just makes sense, right? We should go together, I mean, we’ve been sort of dating for forever!’ he says. Poe groans next to her, at which Rey has to hold in a snort. 

‘My friend, just face the reality: Rose isn’t into you like that. You’ve been sleeping together since college, but you’ve never been on an actual date. Don’t you think that that’s by design?’ 

Hux huffs and crosses his arms. ‘That’s preposterous.’ 

‘What’s preposterous?’ asks Ben as he approaches them and places their refills on the bar — a German beer that Rey doesn’t recognise for Poe, a pink wine for Rey, and bourbon on the rocks for Hux. 

‘Hux’s won’t-they-won’t-they bullshit with Rose,’ Poe explains. Ben nods and runs a hand through his hair. His dark, luscious hair that Rey still really wants to touch very badly. _Ugh_. 

‘I don’t think I’m going to this wedding,’ Ben says, and Poe gasps, hands flailing in front of him. 

‘You have to come! I need my wingman there, dude!’ 

‘Why don’t you want to go?’ asks Rey. Ben shrugs. 

‘Just don’t feel like it.’ 

‘Come off it, we all know it’s because Baz will be there, and he’s freaking out about seeing her at a fancy party,’ explains Hux in a condescending tone. Ben glares at him. 

‘You wanna start paying for your drinks around here, bud?’ 

‘Fuck off.’ 

‘Hey! Look, I get it, Baz is the devil incarnate, you’re afraid if you look into her eyes, you’ll be turned to stone, I get it—‘

’Is she the devil or is she Medusa?’ interrupts Ben. 

‘But you can’t let her stop you from having fun! You like Steve! You like Bree! Well, as much as you, noted misanthrope Benjamin Organa Solo, can really like anyone, which, granted, is not much,’ Poe says, seemingly losing his thread on the way to a point. 

‘I have absolutely no feelings towards either Bree or Steve, plus it’s a cash bar, so what’s even the point in going when I can drink for free here?’ 

‘What if you bring a date?’ suggests Hux. 

‘Who? Rose? I heard she’s going stag,’ says Ben, which makes Rey and Poe laugh. Hux shoots him a glare and downs his bourbon with a grimace. ‘Besides, I don’t want to take some strange woman to a _wedding_ , I’m heartbroken, not desperate.’ 

‘Aren’t those two sides of the same coin, my friend?’ asks Poe. 

Rey sips her wine and watches them banter around her. Ben looks uncomfortable, he obviously doesn’t want to keep talking about this, and she almost asks him to come to the movies with her if he’s not going to the wedding, but Hux interrupts that line of thought before it’s more than a half-formed plan in the back of her mind. 

‘What about Rey?’ 

‘What _about_ Rey?’ asks Ben. Rey looks between the two of them confused. 

‘Yeah, what about me?’ 

‘You have a plus one. Why not bring Rey? She could pretend to be your girlfriend, make Baz think you’ve totally moved on.’ 

‘Now we’re cooking with gas!’ Poe throws a fist in the air. He’s rolled up the sleeves of the shirt he wore to work and his suit jacket is hanging on the back of his seat. His curly hair is still perfectly coiffed after a whole day at work, which Rey thinks has something to do with those hair products — hair _chutneys_?— that she’s not allowed to touch in the bathroom. He looks perfect and totally sane, and not at all like a person who’s agreeing with Hux on the ridiculous idea that Rey play Ben’s _fake girlfriend_ at a wedding of two people she’s never met. 

’No, we’re not,’ says Ben, his tone final. Not that that deters Poe. 

‘Look at Rey! She’s adorable! You take a girl like this to a wedding, Baz will be picking up her chin from the floor! Finally, you’ll be able to ignore the she-devil and enjoy yourself at a party!’ Poe argues. 

Ben groans. Rey gulps her wine. 

~*~

And that’s how, two weeks later, on a Saturday morning, Rey finds herself standing in front of her closet, staring at the dress Finn helped her buy last week. It’s a flow-y turquoise halter-top number, with a belt at the waist, that hits her a couple of inches above the knee. Perfectly appropriate for an afternoon Spring wedding. Where she is pretending to be her (very handsome) roommate’s girlfriend to make his (apparently very evil) ex-girlfriend… jealous? She’s still not super sure on the particulars of this plan, but clearly Poe and Hux believe in it enough that she and Ben agreed to it, however begrudginly. She sighs and continues to look at her dress.

There’s a knock on the door. 

‘Come in,’ she says. Poe enters with an extraordinary amount of flair for ten in the morning. 

‘You’re not dressed yet?’ he asks incredulously. Rey rolls her eyes. 

‘We’re not leaving until noon, why would I get ready two hours before we need to go?’ 

‘We need to talk game plan, girl! We need to talk backstory, pet names, future baby names, yadda yadda…’ 

‘Jesus, Poe, give it a rest. I doubt any of those things will come up!’ she groans. ‘Just… get out of here, I’ll be ready in an hour.’ 

Poe sighs. ‘Fine, fine, one hour! Then it’s strategy time!’ 

‘You’re such a lawyer, ugh.’ 

Rey sits on the stool in front of her mirror and starts doing her make-up. She decides to go for a fresh, understated look — a little BB cream, just a hint of blush, a cat eye eyeliner and some darkish pink lipstick. Her skin looks dewy and, with her hair up in a styled messy bun, Rey thinks she looks really pretty. She smiles at her reflection in the mirror as she adjusts her earrings and puts the final touches to her make-up look, then covers her face in setting spray, which apparently is the most important step (as she’s been told many times by Finn’s drag queen friends when they go bar hopping at the Castro together.) Finally, she puts on her dress and heels, and feels ready to face the music. Or rather, the Poe-shaped vulture waiting to judge her as Ben’s wedding date. Rey rolls her eyes and gives herself a last once-over before picking up her black clutch and heading out into the living room, where she hears the guys arguing. 

‘I’m just saying, if you would have asked I could have helped you! Now it just looks—’ Poe says. 

‘And that’s why I didn’t ask! Stop bothering me, it’s just hair cream!’ Ben all but yells, sounding extremely frustrated and grumpy, which makes Rey smile fondly. Ben is the grumpiest man alive, but it’s almost endearing how worked up he gets over the silliest things, how the tips of his ears get all red and he gets all flustered. She suppresses a snort as she walks the corner into the main area of the loft, where Poe is standing in front of the couch with his arms akimbo, hands resting on his waist and looking very put-upon, while Ben and Hux both sit on the couch across from him, each holding a mug of coffee. What Rey has learned over the past few weeks living with the guys is to never come between a man and his coffee. Ben is not exactly a coffee purist, he will drink any brew you put in front of him as long as it’s strong and black, whereas Hux is extremely particular about brewing temperature and ground coarseness. Meanwhile, Poe enjoys iced coffees and teas, and especially loves the overly sweetened, caramel-filled stuff. Being from Portland, Rey is fundamentally against desecrating coffee with absurd flavourings, but Poe will stop at Starbucks at least twice a day, for which both Ben and Hux (and now Rey) mock him constantly. 

‘It’s hair _chutney_ , not _cream_ , you heathen! You don’t deserve the beautiful hair your Jewish god gave you!’ 

‘Oh, for crying out loud, you are such a _hocker_ ,’ mutters Ben, before taking a long, angry sip from is mug. 

Hux watches them with amusement as he sips his own coffee and pets a content Millicent currently dozing on the cushion next to him. 

The boys all look really dashing in their outfits. Although Rey is used to seeing Hux and Poe in suits most days as they have to wear them for work, they look a little more dressed up today. Poe wears a lovely dark grey three-piece suit with a grey shirt, and a black and grey plaid tie. It’s an unusually monochromatic look for him that really suits his tan complexion and dark hair. Meanwhile, Hux has on a lovely Prussian blue suit, white shirt and a pale green tie with a red paisley pattern. Ben, ever the minimalist in his fashion choices, is wearing a dark Royal blue suit, the blaser of which is resting folded on the arm of the sofa. Around his neck is a black skinny tie, and his crisp white shirt clings to his broad chest, which is made to look even broader by his maroon suspenders.

Rey clears her throat to get their attention, and all at once, six pairs of eyes (because Millicent would never deign to look over when prompted) turn to her direction. All three men stare at her wide-eyed, mouths gaping at her unusually dressed up appearance. Normally one can find Rey dressed either in the comfy overalls and loose cutesy dresses she wears for school or the fun pyjamas she likes to lounge around the house in, so she supposes she should have expected a… surprised reaction at her putting more of an effort. This outfit shows off her curves, however limited they are, and more skin than she normally shows. She feels like a _Woman_ , capital “W” in this outfit, but it’s still a little unnerving to have all that attention directed at her. 

Poe smiles widely and puts his arm around her shoulders. ‘Now that’s an outfit! Looking hot, girl!’ 

Rey blushes as she nervously clutches her purse in her hands. ‘Thanks, Poe.’ 

‘Very nice, indeed!’ chimes in Hux with a nod. He slaps Ben on the arm. ‘Right, Ben?’ 

Ben, who is still staring at her wide-eyed in silence, clears his throat and nods. ‘Hm, yeah, yeah, you look great, kid.’ Their eyes lock for a second and Rey feels her skin grow hot under his stare. 

‘Bazine will die when she sees you walking in with this fine female specimen, Benjamin!’ says Poe, at which Ben groans.

‘Sure, whatever. We’ll just go in, pay money for poorly made, overpriced drinks, take a lap and leave, right?’ asks Ben. 

‘Well, it’s a wedding! We have to dance!’ objects Rey. ‘I have a brilliant variation on the chicken dance, instead of putting hands on hips, you move your head back and forth like you’re pecking, you know?’ she does the motion as she explains the dance. Ben, Hux and Poe roll they eyes at her. 

‘No chicken dance! Sexy dancing!’ Poe argues.

‘No! No dancing! I don’t dance, you all know that. Just… be chill, don’t do your whole… thing,’ Ben says, waving vaguely at her general direction. Rey frowns at him. _Her whole thing?_

‘My whole thing?’ 

‘Yeah, you know, with the rainbows and sunshine and unicorns,’ Ben says. ‘Just… be chill.’ 

‘So… don’t be myself?’ 

‘Yes, exactly, you get it.’ 

‘That’s stupid!’ 

‘No, Rey, this wedding is stupid, and I didn’t even want to go! Now I’m what? Flaunting you in front of my ex-girlfriend and dancing? No, just, no.’ 

’Stop being so combative, Benjamin!’ says Poe. ‘Rey, your job is to keep this bozo from interacting with Bazine in any meaningful way,’ He turns to Ben. ‘No getting Baz a drink, no falling for her viperous feminine wiles, none of that!’ 

‘So I’m… babysitting Ben?’ 

‘Yes, that is literally what you are doing,’ says Hux. ‘It’s a three-man job, especially when it comes to Bazine the she-devil.’ 

‘Besides, I’d like to hook up at this wedding,’ adds Poe. ‘Can’t do that if I’m manhandling the big unfriendly giant.’ 

‘I’m right here, you know?’ interjects Ben. 

‘Fine, whatever. Let’s just go!’ says Rey, tired of this conversation. She is starting to feel a bit nervous about meeting this Bazine. To Rey, she seems like this mythical creature, a honestly? Rey is a little intimidated. It’s almost enough to keep her from having anxiety over being her (very handsome) roommate’s date to a wedding full of strangers. 

_Be cool, you can do this! It’s just a party! Drink some Champagne, dance a bit, eat some hors d’oeuvres, and have a grand ol’ time,_ Rey thinks to herself. 

~*~ 

Steve and Bree’s wedding is being held at the Ferry Building, which is a ten minute Lyft ride from their SoMa loft. It’s a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon, the sun bright in the sky and not a cloud in sight. The air is warm but in a pleasant way, and there’s a wonderful scent of salt air coming from the Bay. Rey beams as they get out of the car in front of the building. The arches of the Front Arcade stand proudly, a welcoming entrance to the public areas of the building. Ben told her the wedding is going to be at the Grand Hall which is where they host private events. It’s a huge room with a skylight that runs the entire length of the ceiling and dark beams in contrast with the white walls.

There are guests filing into the building around them, either getting out of hired cars like them, or handing car keys to the valet for parking. All the guests look so well dressed, Rey confirms her suspicion that this is a rich people wedding. 

‘We going in or what?’ asks Ben as the four of them stand by the entrance. He is standing casually, with his hands in his pockets, though Rey can tell there’s an air of tension about him.

‘Hang on, I’m texting Rose to see where she is,’ Hux says. Poe and Ben roll their eyes at him. 

‘Can’t we just meet her inside? I feel kinda silly just standing here in a huddle,’ says Rey. 

Hux groans. ‘Fine, I’ll tell her to meet us inside.’ 

‘You do remember she’s not your date, right?’ asks Ben. 

‘Shut up.’ 

‘Okay!’ interjects Poe. ‘Game plan! Ben, Rey, look in love! Hux, _stop_ looking in love with your phone. I’m going to do some recon on potential hook-ups.’ 

‘You are the worst,’ says Ben. He turns to Rey and offers her his elbow with a shrug. She smiles and loops her arm around his. He is incredibly, unbelievably solid, muscles rippling underneath the rich fabric of his suit. He’s got a sleek pair of Ray-Bans on, and Rey can smell his cologne, which is somewhat spicy but also sharp, like a mix of bergamot, sandalwood and Old Spice. It’s really nice and so incredibly _Ben_. They move to walk together into the building, Hux and Poe bickering as they trail behind them. 

‘Hi, guys!’ Rey hears a voice from somewhere around them. Ben turns and smiles widely at whoever greeted them. 

‘Rosie!’ he exclaims happily. Rey looks over to see a small woman approach them. Rose Tico is Ben’s close friend from college (before she became the girl Hux is in love with) and, according to the guys, she’s an absolute sweetheart and also the scariest human alive. Rey’s heard stories of this fierce woman walking towards them, but she can hardly match the scary, loud, feisty woman from the stories to the tiny, smiley woman she’s about to meet. 

Never judge a book by its cover and all that. 

Rose is Vietnamese, and her long black hair waved and parted to the right, with a braid running around her left temple. She’s wearing a beautiful lilac lace dress with details in black, and the tallest heels Rey’s ever seen anyone brave. Her face is open and warm, and it seems like she has a little tan on the bridge of her nose. 

She immediately envelops Ben in a tight hug which pulls him down almost half his height. It’s almost comical seeing them next to each other. Rey smiles. 

‘You must the Rey I’ve been hearing so much about?’ asks Rose to which Rey laughs. 

‘I suppose. It’s really nice to finally meet you!’ 

Hux and Poe take turns hugging Rose as well, Hux lingering a bit more. He stands next to Rose after their hug, his hand resting on the small of her back. 

‘How was Vietnam?’ asks Ben. 

Rose shrugs. ‘Fine, fine. You know how family reunions are, but Paige and I went on a few day trips. And we ate so much!’ she turns to Rey. ‘Paige is my sister. We went to Hanoi for a family thing. Uncles, aunties, the whole shebang.’ 

‘That sounds amazing!’ Rey says. Rey’s never had a proper family like that, so the idea of travelling across the globe to meet relatives and have a party is so foreign but so wonderful. She’s almost jealous of Rose for having such a present support system, but looking at her joyous face and soaking in her captivating personality, Rey can’t help but feel happy warmth towards this woman.

The five of them begin walking forwards the Grand Hall where the ceremony area has been set up. Elegant golden banquet chairs are arranged in rows on either side of the aisle, where white rose petals have been sprinkled with care. At the end of the aisle, the altar is under a gazebo where the officiant already stands, reading his notes and waiting as the guests shuffle in. 

Hux stares down at Rose adoringly, and she does seem really happy to see him. Poe and Ben have joked that Hux has this unrequited crush and that their relationship is only sex, but Rey thinks maybe there are feelings buried under there. Maybe Rose just isn’t prepared for the kind of relationship Hux seems to want yet. 

As the guys catch up with Rose, Rey looks around the room. The opulent Hall is covered in fairy lights and flowers — beautiful decorations of marigolds, chrysanthemums and cherry blossoms in shades of orange and light pink, lending a welcome pop of color to the austere white walls of the building. On the opposite end of the hall from the ceremony area, the tables and dance floor have been set up for the reception. There’s a photo booth with whimsical props, and two bars, one on either end of the room, where some guests are already starting to get drinks. 

‘We should grab some seats,’ says Ben, and they all make their way to a middle row. Ben choses to sit on the aisle on account of his super long legs, so Rey sits next to him, and the other three sit by her right. 

‘This is so fancy!’ says Rey. Ben has his arm resting on the back of her chair, and his sunglasses are still perched on his nose. He smiles down at her. 

‘Yeah, Steve’s a corporate lawyer and his dad is loaded. I think Bree’s family’s got money too, this whole thing must’ve cost at least fifty grand.’ 

Rey lets out an impressed whistle. ‘Jesus!’ 

‘Yup,’ chuckles Ben. 

Then Ben tenses next to her. His jawline sets and behind her shoulder, Rey can feel Ben’s fingers twitch. 

‘Hi, Ben,’ says a sultry voice from behind them. Rey turns to see a beautiful woman walking towards them to stand on the aisle in front of Ben, looking down. Her features are delicate, a pointy nose and sharp cheekbones, full lips painted in deep red, and almond-shaped dark brown eyes. Her luscious brown hair is down, styled in long bob that rests just above impeccably tanned shoulders. She looks incredibly sophisticated, with the cleavage of her lace black dress plunging so low, almost down to her navel, showing off much of her skin. In the midst of this rich, fancy wedding, this woman looks like a million bucks, like the most brilliant diamond in bed of sand. 

‘Bazine,’ greets Ben curtly. Rey gasps silently, still staring at the woman in front of them. Perhaps the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen in real life, and _Rey_ was picked to be the intimidating (fake) new girlfriend? She almosts laughs at the thought of someone like Bazine even casting a glance at someone like Rey, let alone being intimidated by her. 

‘How have you been, Ben?’ asks Bazine. She has a smirk on her full lips, and has one hand resting on her hip. Her fingernails are so sharply manicured they could cut glass, and they are painted a deep shade of blood red. 

Ben, still tense next to Rey, nods with pursed lips. ‘Fine, good, yeah,’ he says, his voice cracking. Rey frowns looking between him and Bazine. To her right, she hears Poe clear his throat. She looks over and he is widening his eyes at her trying to give her a silent signal. 

‘Girlfriend!’ Poe mouths at Rey. Rey coughs and nods. 

_Right, babysitting, distraction, let’s get to it!_ Rey thinks to herself. 

‘Hi! I’m Rey,’ she exclaims, tucking herself closer to Ben’s body. She places a hand on his thigh and shoots Bazine her friendliest smile. Ben looks at her startled for a second, as if only now remembering she was there. It stings a little, but she’s here to help him, and clearly he’s got issues regarding this woman, and who could blame him? She’s the definition of _femme fatale_ , even Humphrey Bogart would run scared. 

‘Yes, Rey, this is Rey. My, um, my girlfriend Rey,’ Ben stutters. It would be amusing if the situation wasn’t so completely tense. 

‘Yeah, it’s still new, but it’s going great, right, honey?’ she says, smiling at Ben, who gulps and nods with raised eyebrows. ’Trying to see if Mister Commitment-phobe here will make an honest woman out of me, you know what I mean, sister?’ Rey winks. 

‘Girlfriend?’ Bazine raises a perfectly sculpted brow. She turns to Rey, who nearly crumbles under the powerful weight of her gaze. ‘All right, then. I’m Bazine,’ she extends a hand, which Rey shakes with a trembling one. Bazine’s skin is so soft and from here she can tell she smells… expensive. Rey doesn’t think she’ll last this entire wedding. 

‘Magazine?’ Rey asks. Poe had told her last week, in order to intimidate someone you need to throw them off their game. Pretend you couldn’t hear them. Mispronounce their name. 

‘Bazine,’ she reiterates, annoyed now. 

‘Limousine?’ 

‘Bazine!’ 

‘Boz—sorry, I don’t get it,’ Rey says finally, with a shrug that hopefully doesn’t betray how nervous she feels. 

Bazine, clearly frustrated with her, lets out a loud breath, looking oddly disgruntled for someone so neatly put-together. 

‘Whatever. Nice to meet you, I guess,’ she mutters. ‘I’ll see you around, Ben.’ Bazine places a hand on Ben’s shoulder then turns to leave and sit across the aisle a few rows in front of them. At her departure, the entire group lets out a communal breath, visibly relaxing. Ben tightens his arm around Rey’s shoulder and smiles widely at her. 

‘That went amazing! I can’t believe that actually worked!’ 

‘I know!’ Rey laughs. 

Poe pats her knee and offers a high five. 

‘Wow, we did it, guys! Now maybe we can enjoy this stupid wedding!’ he says. 

Rose snorts. ‘I mean, yes, whatever this was worked for now, but if you think Baz is going to give up that easily, you clearly weren’t paying attention when she and Ben were together. She’s in PR, Poe. Her job description is never giving up,’ explains Rose.

‘Well, regardless. For now, we’re in the clear,’ says Ben, still smiling. ‘Thanks, Rey, really.’ 

‘No problem, Ben.’ She smiles at him. 

Around them, the crowd quietens and the first bars of an acoustic version of some pop song begin as the ceremony starts. 

~*~

The ceremony is really beautiful. Even though Rey doesn’t personally know the bride and groom, she manages to tear up for most of the vows. After they are declared husband and wife, Steve and Bree walk back down the aisle and out into a garden presumably to take photographs. The wedding organiser then announces that drinks service has resumed in the reception area and that they are welcome to take their seats and mingle until it’s time for Mr and Mrs Steve and Bree (Rey never really caught their surnames) to come back into the hall. 

The five of them shuffle out of their seats and find out which is their table. Having deposited Rey and Rose at the table, the guys go to the bar to grab drinks. 

‘It was really nice of you to do this for Ben,’ says Rose as soon as the guys are out of earshot. Rey blushes and shrugs. 

‘It’s no problem. I’ve never been to a fancy wedding like this, so this is actually pretty exciting!’ 

Rose chuckles. ‘Well, hopefully we can make it fun for you, then!’ 

They chat for a bit, getting to know each other as around them the hall fills up with guests finding people they know and catching up. On the edge of the dance floor, the DJ has started playing some slow instrumental songs just to get people comfortable, but nothing dancey yet. Rose asks about Portland and her job at the middle school, and Rey tells her about Finn, about Beau and the Most Awful Breakup of All Time, and why that made her feel sympathetic towards Ben’s situation with Bazine. Rose then tells her about moving up from Sacramento to go to Berkeley, meeting the guys, moving into a tiny studio with her sister and working in IT for the government. She’s so interesting and cool, Rey’s never met someone like her. 

A little while later, the guys join them back at the table. Ben hands Rey her drink — a white wine — and takes a sip from his neat whisky. Hux hands Rose her wine. Rose winks at Rey and clinks their glasses together, which makes Rey giggle. 

‘At the risk of sounding too schmaltzy, I’d like to raise a toast to Rey here for saving my ass out there today,’ Ben says, tipping his glass in her direction. Rey laughs and raises her own glass at him. ‘L’chaim!’ 

‘I’ll cheers to that!’ says Poe. He looks around the room. ‘All right, folks, I think it’s time to pounce. There’s a couple of bridesmaids that look promising, and I know for a fact that Bree’s brother is single and ready to mingle!’ 

‘Oh my God, Poe, wait at least until after the first dance, won’t you?’ asks Rose with a pained expression. 

‘Fine, but if I miss out because of that, it’ll be on you!’ 

Rose sighs. ‘You’re lucky you’re pretty because everything that comes out of your mouth makes me want to punch you in the face,’ she says jokingly. 

Rey smiles. Next to her, Ben is slowly sipping his drink, looking at his friends with an amused expression. He seems relaxed and calm, and hopefully they can ride this atmosphere out until the end of the party. She doesn’t want anymore drama tonight, only a fun time with her friends full of music, drinks and laughter. 

~*~ 

Rey should have known it was all too good to be true. That someone as beautiful as Bazine would not give up that easily. And that, as she had predicted earlier, Rey was hardly an intimidating presence. 

So, after Bree and Steve come back into the hall and head to the dance floor for their first dance (a simple slow waltz to Etta James’ “At Last”, which, according to Rose, is such a wedding cliche, but Rey thinks it’s sweet), the guests start to leave their tables and mingle properly. The DJ sets off in earnest with the wedding playlist, and a dancing crowd begins to form. Some others form groups to talk, hopping from table to table. The photo booth in the corner already has a long line, and both bars are plenty busy (even if, as Ben had predicted, it’s an overpriced cash bar.) Poe has long left their table, looking for those promising “sex leads” as he called them, while Rose dragged Hux to the dance floor. 

That left Rey and Ben at their table. They had been chatting about innocuous things: those Planet Earth documentaries that they both love to watch, how terrible the DJ is, Ben complaining that Steve didn’t spring up for the open bar so he could at least “get fucking drunk at this ridiculous party”, and how disappointing it would be if the cake was coconut flavoured. Once their glasses are empty, Rey offers to get them the next round. Ben smiles at her wake as she goes to get them drinks (‘I’ll have an bourbon next, their scotch is fucking terrible’, Ben told her) and Rey feels butterflies in her tummy looking at him, all happy and relaxed under the soft lights of the afternoon sun coming through the skylight, his hair dishevelled because Ben just can’t help running his fingers through it every two minutes. Ben has already removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He looks, as her students say, like a snack. 

Rey shakes those thoughts from her mind as she goes to grab their drinks. The line is kind of ridiculous, so it’s almost ten minutes before she’s served. She orders herself another wine and Ben’s bourbon, and only slightly winces at the price. Once the bartender places her drinks in front of her, Poe approaches her side. 

‘Excuse me, what are you doing?’ he asks. 

Rey looks between him and the drinks in her hands. ‘Hm, getting refills?’ 

‘You left Ben all alone?’ Poe all but shrieks at her. Rey’s eyes widen. 

‘Well, I—’ 

‘Look!’ Poe points at their table. Where Ben had been alone when Rey left, now Bazine is sitting next to him, leaning into his personal space, one hand on his leg, the other playing with a strand of her hair. Ben looks relaxed, smiling shyly at her, clearly whatever she’s saying is appealing to him. Rey audibly gulps. 

‘Oh.’ 

‘Yes. _Oh_.’ Poe groans. ‘Goddammit, Rey! Look, Ben is weak when it comes to Bazine okay? They dated for ages, but for two whole years they were so on and off, it was like living with a time bomb! They are the most toxic couple of all time, but you try telling him how awful she is for him. She swoops in, says all the right things, makes sure he’s still emotionally available, then leaves. And then we’re left to pick up the pieces. Again. And again,’ Poe explains. ‘It’s messy and terrible, and Ben has zero self-preservation skills when it comes to Bazine.’ 

Rey frowns. ‘Shit, okay. Okay, I can fix this. I’ll, hm, I’ll go there, get in between them. I’ll go distract him, it’ll be fine.’ 

‘It had better be! I’m not not hooking up at this wedding because of another round of Ben and Bazine drama!’ 

Rey nods with purpose, then walks over to their table. She steels herself to approach them and pastes a friendly smile on her lips. 

‘I’m back, babe, here’s your drink,’ she says, placing the bourbon in front of Ben. He looks at her with surprise, almost like he forgot she was here at all. _Ouch_. 

‘Oh, thanks, Rey.’ 

Bazine smiles smugly at her. She leans back on her seat and plays with the stem of her champagne flute. 

‘Do you want to dance, Ben? I think we can convince the DJ to play something less obnoxious,’ she offers. _Take the out, Ben, take the damn out_ , she thinks. 

‘Nah, you go. We’re catching up here.’ Ben gives her a look. Rey frowns and gives him a pointed look back. 

‘Are you _sure_ , Ben?’ she asks. She leans in to whisper. ‘She’s not good for you, Ben.’ 

‘It’s fine, Rey, I promise. This is good, we’re having a chat, go find Rose or something. I’ll be okay, promise,’ he whispers back, trying to sound reassuring, but Rey doesn’t believe him. 

However, she is also not in the mood to help someone who will not help himself. Much like with her students, sometimes you just have to let them make their own mistakes so they can learn from them. Maybe this is one of those times. She’s got her wine, she has friends, the DJ is rocking some *NSYNC, and Rey refuses to let Ben’s stupidity ruin her day. 

She lets out a breath and nods. ‘Fine. Fine, but I hope you know what you’re doing,’ she says. 

Walking away from their table, Rey hopes she’s doing the right thing. 

~*~

Ben and Bazine are giggling as they share a drink. Rey stares at them from a few tables away, where she is sitting, still nursing her wine from an hour ago, feeling like absolute shit. But she’s determined to let Ben make his mistakes. He needs to learn. 

She’s also trying very hard to convince herself that that’s the only reason she feels this bad. 

‘What’s up, then?’ asks Rose as she takes a seat next to Rey. She looks flushed and her hair is in a bit of a state, which could all be from the dancing alone, except Hux is nowhere to be seen and Rose’s lipstick is smudged. Rey would laugh, but her butterflies from earlier have been replaced by a brick which is firmly sitting right at the bottom of her stomach. Gingerly, she takes a sip from her now-warm wine. 

‘He doesn’t want my help,’ Rey shrugs. ‘I mean, what else can I do? Ben’s an adult, he can take care of himself. Or he should, anyway, we can’t be expected to babysit him every time the possibility of Bazine occurs, you know?’ 

Rose nods. ‘Yeah, I guess you’re not wrong.’ She sighs. ‘For someone so intelligent, Ben can be so stupid.’ 

Rey chuckles. ‘Men, eh?’ 

‘Preach, sister,’ Rose clinks their glasses again. Rey shakes her head. 

‘Let’s dance! I’m tired of letting this stupid boy ruin my day!’ 

Rose laughs. ‘All right!’ 

They abandon their drinks and go dance to Beyoncé, Britney Spears, TLC. The bride and bridesmaids are doing a choreographed dance in the middle of the dance floor that looks like a lot of fun. Rey moves her hips and waves her arms. She shuffles her feet and tries her best not to let her complete lack of coordination get in the way of her dancing. As she twirls with her dress, she and Rose share laughs while singing along to the lyrics to “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls.

Rey has managed to put her irritation at Ben’s behavior in the back of her mind, she’s having a good time, enjoying dancing and mingling with other guests on the dance floor. A couple of guys look like they might approach her for a dance, but honestly right now Rey thinks she’d rather be on her own. 

It’s been almost an hour since she and Rose have come to the dance floor, and Rey feels a tap on her shoulder. She turns to find a disappointed looking Poe with his arms crossed standing behind her. He sighs when she turns and raises an eyebrow at her. Rey stops dancing and puffs up her chest to face him. 

‘Can I help you with anything, Poe?’ she asks diplomatically. He sighs again. 

‘Rey, what are you doing?’ 

‘Enjoying myself, Poe! What else am I supposed to do?’ 

‘Oh, I don’t know, look out for Ben like we planned?’ 

‘He’s an adult, Poe, and he made his choice. I tried asking him to leave Bazine, I tried standing between them, but he wouldn’t leave. What else was I meant to do, physically drag him away? He’s twice my size!’ 

Poe groans as he gently steers Rey by the elbow to the edge of the dance floor where Hux is standing. Rose joins them too as they stand in a circle. 

’That’s fine, he’s a stubborn idiot, but look at that!’ Poe points in the direction of the photo booth, where Ben and Bazine are sitting awfully close, seemingly taking pictures of themselves. Bazine is smiling widely, still looking absolutely stunning, not a hair out of place. She’s wearing a silly prop hat and making a face for the camera while Ben is laughing next to her. They look… happy. Rey wonders why their friends want to stop this, clearly Ben enjoys Bazine’s company, they seem to be having fun, and maybe if they were to get back together it might work out this time. 

But then she remembers what Poe told her. Their toxic relationship and the on-and-off-ness of it all. Yeah, they need to put a stop to this. 

‘We need to do something,’ says Hux. Rose nods next to him. She’s still catching her breath from the dance floor, but her face in scrunched in a frown as she looks over to where Ben is with Bazine. 

‘I’ll go talk to him,’ Rey says. ‘I mean, I had my heart broken just a month ago, I know what he’s feeling. You jump at the chance of being happy again, you know?’ 

Poe nods. ‘Yeah, that might be a good idea. I don’t know if any of us have the patience to deal with this stuff anymore, to be honest.’ 

Rey nods and turns to march towards the photo booth. She can sense three pairs of eyes following her as she makes her way over. There isn’t as much of a line outside the booth anymore, but the people who are in the line are shooting Ben and Bazine annoyed looks for hogging the booth for too long. 

‘Ben! I found you!’ Rey exclaims, playing the role of the angry girlfriend. She points between them. ‘How dare you!’ 

‘Rey, it’s fine— ’

‘Nothing happened,’ interjects Bazine, putting her hands up as she stands from the stool she and Ben are sharing. 

‘I trusted you!’ Rey yells, looking at Ben, who in turn rolls his eyes at her. 

‘We were just having fun, Rey,’ Ben says. Bazine shakes her head next to him. 

’Nothing happened, honestly. I have a boyfriend,’ she says. 

Ben turns to her with wide eyes. Rey gasps and drops her arms to her sides, eyes never leaving Ben, whose face crumples. His jaw tenses and he stares at Bazine. 

‘You have a boyfriend?’ 

She nods and shrugs. ‘Yeah. I mean, I didn’t bring him because I knew you’d be here, but you and Rey look so happy, I figured—’ 

‘You have a boyfriend?’ 

‘You need to leave now!’ Rey looks away from Ben’s pained expression and glares at Bazine. ‘Get away from my boyfriend, lady!’

Bazine opens her mouth to say something but thinks better of it, just looks at Ben one last time and turns to walk away, not once sparing a glance at Rey’s direction. 

Silence falls between them as Ben stares at Bazine’s wake and Rey stares at Ben, who’s still tense, shoulders and jaw set in sharp lines, eyes ablaze. 

‘Ben…’ 

‘Just forget it, Rey,’ he says, stands up from the stool and walks away from her. Rey sighs, feeling her eyes start to brim with tears. Across the room, she sees Poe, Hux and Rose looking at her with confused expressions, so she walks over to explain the situation to them. 

’This is what she does!’ Poe groans. ’The evil hag, she shows up, gives him hope, and tears it away! God, I hate that woman!’ 

‘Look at him, we should go over there,’ says Rose. They all look over to see Ben at a table close to the bar, clutching a bottle of bourbon in his hand. He takes a long pull from the bottle and sets it back down without even wincing. Rey feels for him, really. She understands the want to give chance after chance to the person who broke your heart, because maybe one day it will finally stick, one day they’ll stay and stop hurting you, and all your efforts to build a life together won’t have gone to waste. But this isn’t healthy, it never works.

‘I wouldn’t even begin to know what to say,’ Hux mutters. He’s standing with his hands in his pockets, looking at the ground. Poe nods next to him, then downs the glass of wine in his hand. 

‘I’ll go,’ Rey says. 

‘Rey, are you sure? We can’t keep asking you—’ Rose begins. 

‘No, it’s okay. Ben’s my friend and I want to help him. Yeah, he was kind of a dick to me, but I still care about him and he’s hurting right now.’ Poe smiles at her and gives her a side hug. 

‘Thanks, kid.’ 

Rey smiles sadly at him. She walks over to where Ben is sitting. He’s gulping down the bourbon like it’s water and Rey already feels bad for the hangover he’s going to wake up to tomorrow morning. 

‘Hey, Ben,’ she greets quietly, taking the seat next to him. He acknowledges her with a nod but says nothing. 

They sit in silence for a minute. Rey studies his face. There are bags under his eyes and his cheeks are reddened. His skin is creamy and pale, dotted with beauty marks and moles. His hair is mussed and dishevelled, as he’s been nervously running his hands through it since the Bazine debacle. 

Ben finally looks at her, eyes bloodshot and mouth turned down in a sad frown. Rey’s heart aches for him. She puts a hand on his arm and squeezes. 

‘She has a boyfriend,’ Rey says. Ben flinches, but keeps his eyes on her. ‘She shouldn’t have been flirting with you, Ben.’ 

‘Yeah…’ he says quietly. 

‘So you can either sit here and mope, keep being sad about a girl who won’t ever be worth all the time you spend thinking about her, or you can come take your shoes off and dance your ass off with your friends.’ She squeezes his arm one more time, then gives wraps her hand around his. ‘Think about it, okay?’ 

Ben nods, and Rey stands. She pats him on the shoulder and walks away without looking back. Ball’s on his court now. Ben needs to dig himself out of his Bazine-hole, no one else can do that for him, but hopefully she has given him tools to convince himself to step out of the fog. 

So, she joins Poe, Hux and Rose. They sit back at their table, enjoying a few moments of peace and quiet, observing the dance floor across from them, all sipping on drinks that were Rose’s treat. The DJ has started on the slow jams now — Elton John, Sinatra, even James Taylor. The bride and groom are on the dance floor sharing a slow dance in each other’s embrace, and they look really beautiful. Rey smiles at them. Even though she’s never met them before, she can see how in love they are. Steve looks at Bree like she’s his whole world, and Bree looks calm, safe, in his arms. They seem really good together. 

‘Looks like he’s having The Talk with Bazine,’ says Rose. The other three follow her line of sight, to see Ben has walked over to where Bazine is sitting. He’s talking to her, face serious, gently gesticulating with his hands the way he does when he’s trying to explain something. Bazine’s expression is closed off, but she’s nodding as he speaks. Eventually they all give up watching the conversation. Hux and Rose fall into a quiet conversation, while Poe checks his emails on his phone, and Rey looks back over at the newlyweds dancing. The first bars of Phil Collins’ “Groovy Kind of Love” start when Rey feels a presence behind her. 

Rey turns to find Ben standing with his hands on his waist. He looks… better. His eyes are clear and his hair has been pushed back. His sleeves are still rolled and he loosed his tie.

He clears his throat and nods at her. ‘Come on, then,’ he mutters. 

‘What?’ Rey asks. 

‘Just, come on, Rey,’ he repeats, nodding towards the dance floor. Rey raises her eyebrows and stands up confused. Hux, Rose and Poe shoot her perplexed looks as she follows Ben to the dance floor. Once there, they stand in front of each other. Phil Collins’ voice fills the room. _Wouldn’t you agree, baby you and me, have a groovy kind of love_ , he sings from the speakers, and Ben lets out a breath and, in the most shocking move in the history of mankind, starts to do a slow chicken dance in front of her. Rey lets out a startled laugh as she looks at him. He does the beak hands, the wing flaps with his arms, and even the pecking motion with his head that she had described before they left for the wedding, and after a beat, Rey joins him. Slow chicken dancing to Phil Collins. 

Who could’ve predicted this? 

Ben smiles brightly at her as they share the slow chicken dance. Around them, other couples hold each other in a normal slow dance, while the song continues. 

_When I’m feeling blue, all I have to do  
Is take a look at you, then I’m not so blue_

Rey giggles as they continue to dance, and after a few moments, they are joined by their friends. Poe and Hux do the most exaggerated moves ever, and Rose laughs good-naturedly at them. Rey exchanges an amused look with Ben, who is absolutely ridiculous, as the tallest person in the room doing a chicken dance to a slow song. He also looks happy, revelling in the joy of this shared moment. Rey’s heart could burst, she is so happy. 

~*~ 

As the reception comes to an end, they decide to make their way home. Poe lets them know he did in fact find himself a hook-up, so they watch as he winks at them and walks out with one of the groomsmen. Hux invites Rose over for her welcome home present (he winks at that, which makes Ben gag, and Rey laughs) so the four of them pile into a Lyft to head back to the loft. The party had gone on a lot longer than Rey expected from an afternoon wedding, so it’s already dark when they leave the Ferry Building to make their way home. 

By the time they reach the loft, Hux and Rose can barely keep their hands off each other, and once Ben unlocks the door to let them in, the two of them all but run to Hux’s bedroom on the far end of the apartment. 

’Thank god for that,’ mutters Rey. ‘I really don’t want to find out what those two sound like.’ 

Ben snorts as he places his keys on the small table by the door. Rey leans over the doorjamb to step out of her heels. She wiggles her newly freed toes with a deep sigh, content to finally be rid of these evil things. 

In silence, Ben and Rey walk towards their respective bedrooms. It’s a comfortable silence, welcome reprieve after a noisy day, both literally and emotionally. Rey makes to open the door to her room, but Ben interrupts her by clearing his throat. 

‘Rey, I—’ he stops himself. He shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair. ‘I just wanted to say thank you. For everything, today.’ 

Rey smiles at him. ‘You’re welcome. Honestly, I didn’t know how today was going to go, but I’m glad I was able to help.’ 

Ben nods at her. ‘I think I needed… closure, I guess, with Bazine. And you helped me get that. So, yeah, thanks.’ 

He shuffles his feet, and before Rey knows, she’s being enveloped in a bear hug. After a second, she hugs him back, wrapping her arms around his middle. 

They come apart after a minute, breathing into each other’s space. Ben is a warm presence, and he still smells really good, that spicy musk from earlier only heightened by the events of the day. He rubs her arm, then pats her shoulder and takes a step back. 

‘All right. Hm, time for bed.’ He chuckles. ‘I have work tomorrow, so… Yeah, good night, Rey.’ 

Rey nods and smiles at him again. ‘Good night, Ben.’ 

They turn to walk into their bedrooms. Rey hears Ben’s door click shut as she leans back against her own, sinking into the floor, her legs stretching out in front of her. Her toes look red and feel so warm after most of the day trapped in heels, and most of all she cannot wait to be rid of his dress and the strapless bra she’s wearing underneath. 

She decides to examine the events of the day tomorrow, and she already knows Finn is going to want to know everything at brunch anyway, so Rey puts it away for the moment, and gets ready for bed. Still, the feeling of happiness that had overtaken her the minute Ben had asked her to dance has still not faded, and she feels light as air. She can’t help but smile as she puts on her pyjamas, as she brushes her teeth, as she gets under her sheets and swiftly falls asleep, with Phil Collins’ “Groovy Kind of Love” playing in her head. 

_Wouldn’t you agree, baby you and me got a groovy kind of love…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this story, please let me know what you think! 
> 
> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/writingquill1) for updates! Talk to me there, I'm always around :)
> 
> For more information re: character aesthetics and the general look I'm going for in this story, you can follow me on [tumblr](https://writingquill.tumblr.com/tagged/fanfic) where I'm always posting inspo images etc. 
> 
> I created character playlists you can check out below:  
> [Ben](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0JalewjpZoropaBxl7RhP4?si=Qwb5OC8qQTGbsLahkzNhSQ)  
> [Rey](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/111louMffIxpPu5XP4orei?si=3vM4u1jBSHejLQcMV50Dfw)  
> [Poe](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1pFuDRDqD4u8GCORJMivol?si=W2JQ4OdwR2qM0VBuYlFYNA)  
> [Hux](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6BeljQB5Se5a42sWysR3cd?si=_UBGezFCS-eE40WBecNQCw)  
> [Finn](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jmILBJXxKSbAdjj92F0Mm?si=Po8YuvUDS12RwAzH64uiFQ)  
> [Rose](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MRKoWfslZDU9F9BKOy3rJ?si=4tkVVyKVQqWsJgmuimYlXw)
> 
> I also have an [ inspirational writing playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6ntb6hX52Hh2I1hjmZVd4g?si=UL9aYN0AQdWU1djOBOk2Sw), so check it out if you're really into alternative and indie rock ;)
> 
> Finally, please let me know what you think of this story, comments are greatly appreciated <3 
> 
> Stay safe and wear your protective masks, friends x


	4. Chapter Three: Finn Crashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Oh, my GOD!’ exclaims Finn, his voice dripping with mirth. ‘Um, what the fuck?’ 
> 
> Rey stirs her eggs in the pan, ignoring him completely. 
> 
> ‘This knife here?’ Finn says, picking up a knife that is resting on the kitchen island. ‘Would have hard time cutting through the tension. The pure tension!’ 
> 
> ‘Shove off,’ Rey pleads, staring at her eggs. ‘Finn, seriously.’ 
> 
> ‘What? Bitch, that boy is into you!’ he all but yells. 
> 
> ‘Finn! Quiet!’ Rey whispers aggressively.
> 
> Finn raises his hands in a sheepish apology. ‘Sorry, sorry. But come on!’ 
> 
> ‘He does not! We’re friends! I’m just getting these guys to like me, to _trust_ me, and I’m not letting you and your sex-obsessed brain disrupt it!’ 
> 
> ‘For Christ’s sake, Rey, he’s totally into you! The way he says your name!’ 
> 
> ‘He says it normal!’ 
> 
> ‘No, he says it like, _Rey_ ’ Finn argues, dropping his voice a couple of octaves to try to match Ben’s. It does not work. 
> 
> ‘He’s from Chicago, that’s how people from Chicago say “Rey”, like “Bears” and “I want to go to the Sears tower”,’ Rey explains. Finn scoffs. ‘You just think everyone wants to sleep with each other.’ 
> 
> ‘Because they do!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, folks! sorry for the delay on this chapter, but hopefully the length will make up for it!
> 
> you'll notice i've started adding other POVs to this story aside from Rey's -- it wasn't my original intention when i i started writing this story, but i realised that it was important to include it to further some of the storylines. this will continue to be an episodic story, and Rey will continue to be the main focus, but now with some added bonuses! hope you enjoy that :) 
> 
> as per usual, check out my [tumblr](https://writingquill.tumblr.com/tagged/new-girl-au) for character and chapter aesthetics, playlists, etc. 
> 
> enjoy! xx

The only thing Rey really hates about being a teacher is all the grading. Every week, she has piles of Math homework, quizes and De-math-lon applications that she needs to grade and look over to hand back to her students in the morning. It’s boring, repetitive work, often frustrating and absolutely thankless. She spends hours upon hours of her free time off school putting red pen to crumpled up pieces of paper, wondering if the car repair shop down the street is hiring. 

Tonight is no different. It’s a Friday night and, since Rey would very much like to enjoy her weekend, she is on the dining table with a bundle of pop quizes and her collection of colourful pens and stickers. Once she’s finished with these, she has some Robotics club project proposals to read through, and she can’t forget to look over her schedule to arrange a meeting time with Matti’s parents who are worried about how their recent divorce is impacting her academic performance. It looks like a busy night, and Rey wishes she could have a glass of wine with her grading, but she thinks she’s still not there yet mentally as a teacher. 

Her dinner consisted of carrot sticks and some hummus, the remains of which are sitting, forgotten, by her elbow, and she tries to decipher Lauren P’s atrocious handwriting. Rey taps the red pen against her chin as she stares at the numbers on the page, barely registering the room around her. 

It’s a quiet evening in apartment 4D. The sun has long set, and Rey is sharing her silence with Hux, who is reading a book on the sofa, a glass of fancy French wine sitting on the coffee table across from him. He had arrived about an hour before, greeting her quietly and heading to his room to change into slim joggers and a T-shirt that was far too well-cut for loungewear. He had been letting his beard grow, so it was full and the most orange thing Rey had ever seen. It’s a good look on him, and Rey privately wonders if it has anything to do with how much Rose had been running her hands through it last time they all hung out together at the bar. 

The silence between them is companionable, only interrupted by the sound of pages turning and the scratch of pen against paper. 

That had been the most surprising thing about moving in with these guys: how comfortable silences would be. Beau was never a taking-comfort-in-quiet-moments kinda guy, he always needed to fill the silence with some sort of noise: the TV, one of his many Spotify playlists, phone chatter, or just generally trying to coax Rey into talking when she wanted to do anything but. All of which maybe should have been a red flag regarding their incompatibility, Rey often thinks to herself, but hindsight is 20/20 and all that. 

These guys, though? They revel in silence. Poe, probably most shockingly, is amazing to watch movies with because he just… pays attention. He’ll sit with you, and focus the entire time. No annoying questions, no commentary. His eyes never leave the screen, like he’s actually one hundred per cent devoted to the experience. And Hux too is so single-mindedly focused on every task, it’s no wonder he’s so professionally successful. He’s an avid reader, and he manages to go through multiple chapters without moving from his spot on the sofa even an inch, not even noticing if one of them decides to watch TV next to him. Meanwhile, Ben is the quietest of them all, but in a brooding sort of way. Ben is always deep in thought; the opposite of Poe and Hux, he is rarely entirely focused on one thing. If they’re watching a movie, or whatever really, sometimes his eyes will glaze over and he’ll spend a few minutes stuck elsewhere in his mind. But the thing is, when he comes back to the present, he’s never lost. He just… goes with it. 

It’s really refreshing and comforting to have the freedom to just exist in a space without having to fill it with noise. 

Rey realises she’s not really been paying attention to her grading when the apartment door opens. She shakes her head and looks over to the entrance, where Ben walks in, already shrugging off his leather jacket. He sets his keys on the little table by door and toes off his boots, kicking them to the side haphazardly. 

‘Hey, man,’ he greets absent-mindedly, giving Rey and Hux a half-wave as he walks into the common area of the apartment. Hux, who had been taking a sip of his wine, tips his glass in Ben’s direction, without once moving his eyes way from his book (some heavy Economics tome called “The Globalization of Inequality” that he’s been raving about for the past week.) Rey smiles at Ben. 

‘Early finish at the bar tonight?’ she asks curiously. Usually he works close shifts on weekends, so she’s a bit surprised to see him home so early on a Friday night. 

Ben shrugs and yawns. He’s wearing his usual pair of slim black jeans paired with a green flannel tonight. The sleeves of his shirt are rolled down but the buttons are open, suggesting he’s had them rolled up at the bar. He shuffles towards the kitchen leisurely in his sock-clad feet. ‘I swapped some shifts with Big Bob this week. Just did a long fucking week of doubles, so I’m not working this weekend.’ 

‘That must be nice! You get to relax a bit, yeah?’ 

Ben shoots her a half-smile over his shoulder and shrugs again. ‘I guess. To be honest, I can’t wait to drink a few beers and then pass out for twenty hours.’ He laughs. Rey chuckles with him. 

‘Sounds like a solid plan,’ she says, looking back over her papers. In the kitchen, Ben quickly makes himself a sandwich and grabs a beer from the fridge. He then seems to consider where to eat, glancing between the sofa and the dining table. Ultimately he decides to join Rey in the dining table, sitting on the other end opposite Rey and getting as comfortable as his large frame will allow. He lets out a deep sigh and takes a long pull from his beer, humming contentedly as he swallows. He’s got a bit of stubble on his chin and from where she’s sitting, Rey can smell some of the bar on him — the hoppy-ness from the beers and the sharp sting from the liquor. It’s not an unpleasant smell, and that combined with his spicy cologne has become ingrained in Rey’s brain as intrinsically _Ben_. 

‘How are they this week?’ asks Ben, around a mouthful of his sandwich, nodding in the direction of her stack. He eats messily, like someone who doesn’t really care what he looks like eating, gruffly, almost defiantly, daring others to comment on his lack of manners. Rey doesn’t mind, she’s not the neatest eater herself, she’s always in too much of a hurry, always looking to inhale her food before it’s taken away from her. Years of conditioning, of being secretly bullied by the bigger kids in some of the foster homes she lived in, taught her to be careful, hunch over, protect her meals lest they be taken away, stolen by grabby hands. She doesn’t know much about Ben, he’s very private and she doesn’t want to pry, but she imagines he has a completely opposing reason to so resolutely not care what others think of his image. 

Rey sighs deeply and puts down her pen, then rubs her eyes. ‘Fine, I guess. It’s still too early to tell, but some of these kids are going to struggle for sure.’ 

‘Shame,’ Ben says. ‘No astronauts, then?’ 

Rey laughs. Ben smiles at her and turns back to his food. She returns to her grading and the comfortable quiet envelops the loft again.

Eventually, Ben finishes his meal and cleans up before heading for his room, presumably to get ready for his shower. As Rey gets through her pile, the evening goes on around her. Hux refills his glass of wine. Ben showers and changes into grey sweatpants and a tight green t-shirt, then sits on the sofa, turning on the TV to watch some sports game that’s on the DVR. Poe arrives about an hour later, looking frazzled and stressed from work, grumbling under his breath about “working a million fucking hours hours this week” and “shoving his briefcase up a judge’s ass” which the three of them snort at. He joins them in the living room wearing his short kimono, earning himself protests from Hux and Ben (“do you really have to expose this much thigh in the public areas of the loft?” asks Hux; “ya better be wearing underwear under that thing, dude!” exclaims Ben) and sits to watch the game as well. 

Rey has just finished grading the last of her papers and moved on to the proposals when Ben gets up to grab himself and Poe some beers from the fridge. She overhears him puttering around in the kitchen for a few minutes, then a steaming mug of tea appears by her elbow. Rey looks up to see Ben retreating. 

’Thought you might need the caffeine,’ he says. He’s got two bottles of some craft beer the guys like in one hand, the other shoves into his sweatpants pocket. Rey blushes slightly and breathes in the calming aroma of tea. 

‘This is so sweet, thank you, Ben,’ he says gratefully. He shoots her a lopsided smile and turns goes back to the TV, instantly getting sucked into the game again. Ben is sweet like that, he’s always opening doors and putting furniture together and bringing her drinks. When Rey loses her phone, he’s always around to call, and he knows how to make her favorite tea. It’s nice, having someone so reliable around. And it makes her feel all warm inside. She ponders over that as she takes a sip from her perfect cup of Earl Grey with just a splash of almond milk. 

Just as Rey finishes going over the proposals, her phone starts to ring. The chorus of “I’m So Excited” by The Pointer Sisters fills the loft, making her jump slightly as she was not expecting a phone call at… 11pm on a Friday night. She picks up her phone and sees Finn’s name, so she rushes to answer.

‘What’s up, bud?’ she says as she gathers around all her papers into a neat pile and places her pens into her pencilcase. 

‘Oh my god, Rey, thank god!’ exclaims Finn on the other end. Rey’s eyebrows shoot up. 

‘Everything okay?’ 

‘No no, it’s all a disaster, I’m so shook, girl, I need your help!’ 

‘What happened? What’s wrong?’

Rey’s heart starts to beat twice as fast and her palms start to sweat and she nervously stands up and paces in front of the window. She feels three pairs of eyes now staring at her from the sofa. 

‘My apartment is _covered_ in roaches! Enormous, disgusting, flying cockroaches, Rey! Ugh, it’s so awful, it’s infested!’ 

‘Oh my God! What are you going to do?’ 

She hears Finn sigh. ‘I called the landlady, she said she’ll get an exterminator in during the weekend, but obviously I can’t stay there.’ 

‘Obviously!’ 

‘So I was wondering—’ 

‘Christ, Finn, duh! I’m being so stupid, you have to come stay here!’ 

Finn laughs on the other end. ’Thanks, babe, you’re a life saver!’ 

‘Are you kidding? It’s the least I can do! Are you coming over now?’ 

‘Well, Venus from the club needed a car to go see her sister in San Diego last minute, so I lent her mine. I’m at present car-less, hon. Could you possibly…?’ 

‘Pick you up? Well, I’ll have to see if one of the guys will lend me their car, but that should be fine. I can’t let you get a Lyft at this time of night, you might as well stay in a hotel for the price!’ 

‘Oh you’re an angel, Rey Kanata! I’ll buy you the biggest jasmine milk tea they make at Boba Guys!’ 

Rey smiles and runs a hand through her messy hair, which she threw up in a bun this morning and still hasn’t bothered to take down even though it’s all frazzled from her playing with it throughout the day.

‘I’ll speak to the guys to confirm the car, but should be there in, like, half an hour? Will be ready to go?’ 

‘Girl, I’m already on my stoop!’ They both share a laugh. 

‘All right, then. See you soon! Stay safe, please.’ 

‘You got it, mom,’ he says and Rey can almost picture the smirk on his face. Her chest warms with affection for her silly best friend. 

‘Don’t sass me, mister! I’ll be there in a bit.’ They hang up. Rey turns to the living room, where the boys have returned to their activities, presumably after realising she wasn’t dealing with anything actually serious. She shuffles on her bare feet, then pads over to where the guys are sitting. 

‘Heeeey,’ she approaches them. Hux briefly looks her over and shakes his head. 

‘You are not touching my Tesla, Kanata,’ he says. 

Rey groans. ‘Fine, what about you guys? Poe? Ben? Please?’ 

Poe shakes his head as he gulps his beer. ‘Sorry, kid, my car’s in the shop. I took a cab from work.’ He looks over at Ben with a quirked brow. ‘I’m sure Ben would be happy to lend you his car, though.’ 

Ben glares at him, then looks at Rey. Rey shoots him a pleading look. 

‘Please, Ben? I’ll bake you all the cookies!’ 

Ben sighs. ‘Yeah yeah, all right,’ he says. He gets up from the couch to grab his keys from the entrance table. ‘Honestly I’d rather lend my car to you than either of these clowns.’ He throws her the keys and Rey beams at him. Poe lets out an indignant yelp. 

‘I’m great with cars!’ 

‘Shut up, you drive a Prius,’ Ben says dismissively. ‘Careful out there, yeah?’ 

‘Yes, absolutely! Thank you!’ 

Ben shrugs, and goes back to the sofa. 

Rey quickly puts on a pair of slip on Vans, deciding that she doesn’t really need to put on proper clothes since she’s not even leaving the car anyway. She’s wearing a pair of cosy flannel pyjama bottoms that are a happy baby blue and have little space ships all over, and a fitted T-shirt from a Robotics competition in college. She throws on a cardigan because it’s a bit chilly tonight, then heads out to go pick up Finn. 

~*~

Ben’s car is an old Toyota Land Cruiser. Rey thinks it’s dark green, but honestly it’s so dirty on the outside that it might as well be white for all she knows. It’s a proper beat-up old car that has clearly seen a lot, and Rey feels almost like she’s handling something precious as she gets in and adjusts the seat and mirrors so she can drive. The upholstery is faded and worn, soft to the touch. There’s one of those pine-scented things on the rearview mirror that doesn’t really smell like anything anymore, and there are, like, ten cups of coffee strewn about the car. It’s a utilitarian car, a means to an end. It suits Ben perfectly. 

Rey starts the car and goes off. The tape that’s in the player starts from where it had stopped when Ben came home earlier that night — some old Talking Heads tape that Ben seems to really love because he also had it on two weeks ago when he drove Rey to the supermarket. 

It takes her about ten minutes to drive to Finn’s place in North Beach at this time of night. It’s nearly midnight and, while the streets are busy with partygoers and nightlifers, the cars are few and far between. When she pulls up in front of his building, he is, as advertised, sitting on the stoop with a leather travel bag slung over one shoulder. He’s listening to something on his bright red Beats headphones, and, as always, looks absolutely effortlessly cool. Where Rey has always struggled to be fashionable and “fit in”, Finn oozes style. He’s always known what clothes to wear, and what accessories to match. He has this amazing barber that gives him the coolest fades and hairstyles, and he’s just overall the most stylish person Rey’s ever met. Even when they were kids. It makes so much sense that he became a fashion and nightlife photographer, it’s like he came into the world ready to make it more fabulous. 

Rey rolls down the passenger window and whistles, waving over at Finn, who smiles widely when he notices her arrival. 

‘Rey!’ he exclaims happily. He pulls down his headphones to his neck. Finn has on a black Supreme beanie, and he’s dressed in slim-fitted black joggers, a really trendy-looking hoodie in block primary colors and bright yellow Air Jordans. He approaches the car with his trademark swagger and throws his bag on the back seat before getting inside the passenger side. ‘Thanks again, so so fucking much!’ 

Rey smiles. ‘It’s no problem.’ She starts up the car again and sets up back to the loft. 

‘This car, huh? It’s… vintage?’ 

Rey laughs. ‘I guess, if you want to be charitable,’ she says. ‘It’s Ben’s, he’s had it forever apparently. Poe told me the drove from Chicago to Berkeley when he was eighteen in this car.’ 

Finn gasps. ‘Jesus Christ, are we even safe in here?’ 

‘Shut up, it was the only car available! And Ben was very nice in lending it to me! No looking a gift horse in the mouth, et cetera et cetera.’ 

‘Yeah yeah, whatever. I’m excited to see what it’s like in that loft! All the shenanigans!’ 

‘Please behave yourself, okay? I really like these guys and I’m just starting to fit in. I think they might even like me too!’ 

‘I’m sure they do!’ says Finn with a suggestive wink. ‘Hot girl like you?’ 

‘Shut up!’ she laughs nervously. ‘None of that now!’ 

Finn shrugs. ‘I call them like I see them, Reyrey, and there’s no way in hell these guys haven’t noticed they’re living with a hot piece of ass like you.’ 

‘Ugh, you’re the worst!’ 

Finn laughs and Rey slaps his shoulder. 

~*~ 

Rey does her best to park Ben’s car properly when they arrive at her building. It’s a bigger car than she’s used to driving (she normally either borrows Finn’s Mini Cooper if she absolutely needs to drive somewhere, or back in Portland she uses Maz’s old Corolla to drive around, not to mention she’s only been allowed to start renting a car since February when she turned 25) but she thinks she does pretty well. 

‘Remember what I said? Behave! And please no flirting!’ 

‘Who do you take me for?’ asks Finn in mock-outrage. 

‘You know exactly what I mean! Like when you used to flirt with Beau’s straight guy friends to make them uncomfortable?’ 

‘That was only in jest because they always looked like they had never met a gay person before. In San Francisco, Rey! Come on!’ 

Rey laughs. ‘Whatever. Just, behave. Please?’ 

Finn raises three fingers. ‘Promise. Scout’s honor!’ 

‘You were never a boyscout!’ 

’Semantics, Rey.’ 

She laughs as they take the elevator up to the fourth floor. It’s well past midnight now, so Rey hopes the guys have already gone to their rooms. 

They get out of the elevator and Rey takes her keys from the pocket on her cardigan, Finn trailing behind her. They’re both yawning now, the excitement of the evening wearing off giving way to end-of-day tiredness. All Rey wants to do is make up a bed for Finn on the sofa and then fall into bed herself, and hopefully sleep off this exhausting day. But she can hear a ruckus from the other side of the door, a telltale sign that the guys are still awake, and awfully animated going by how tame she left them half an hour ago. 

She lets them into the loft, where Poe and Ben are gesticulating at the TV and arguing loudly about… Rizzo? Whatever that is. She sighs deeply, drops both hers and Ben’s keys on the table, and she ushers Finn into the apartment. 

‘Hey, guys!’ Rey yells, attempting to gain their attention. Ben turns to her first, followed by Poe and Hux, the latter of whom had been observing the argument amusedly. ‘Finn’s going to stay here this weekend. Finn, you remember Ben, Poe, and Hux?’ she waves at her roommates. 

‘Hey, man,’ greets Ben quietly. Hux tips his head from the far end of the couch. Poe, however, stands up and walks over to them, a glint in his eyes that makes Rey suspicious. Especially with him wearing that tiny kimono

‘Finn Storm, what a pleasure to see you again,’ Poe all but purs, offering his hand for Finn to shake. Finn seems amused by the flattery — to be fair, Rey had told him about how much of a player-slash-flatterer Poe could be — but shakes his hand nonetheless. 

’Thanks for letting me stay over,’ he says. ‘My apartment is infested with roaches.’ 

‘Oh it’s not a problem at all, my man. You can stay as long as you like,’ Poe says with a wink, giving Finn a once-over. 

‘Okay, okay, stop that, Poe,’ Rey points at him. ‘You can change into pyjamas or whatever in my room, Finn.’ 

‘Will do,’ he says, winking at Rey and nodding at the guys. ’Thanks again, fellas.’ 

Rey leans towards Poe, looking him square in the eye since they were almost the same height.

‘Don’t you dare come onto Finn, Poe. He’s my best friend!’ 

Poe gasps. ‘I would never!’ 

‘Yeah, right, I know you! Behave!’ 

‘You’re no fun,’ Poe says with a pout. 

Rey rolls her eyes. ‘I’m watching you!’ 

‘Oh, please do, honey,’ Poe says playfully. 

‘Cut it out, man,’ says Ben, still staring at the TV. 

Poe makes a face at him, but shrugs. ‘Fine, fine, I’ll _behave_ ’ he says, adding air quotes on top of the sass. 

Finn comes out of her room in a pair of maroon silk pyjama shorts that hit him mid-thigh and a black cotton tank top, and he’s got that ever-present gold chain around his neck. 

Poe smiles in his direction, turning completely away from Rey. ‘Can I get you a drink, Finn?’ 

Rey groans and goes to her room to get some bedding for Finn. When she comes back, he has joined the guys on the sofa, a glass of white wine in his hands. He’s laughing at something Poe has said, clearly having warmed up to him, and Rey is instantly annoyed. Those two are not a good combination. They are both shameless flirts, and it’s bound to end in disaster. But Finn is a big boy, what can she do? 

So, she places the blankets and pillow on the end of the sofa, next to Ben, who is comfortably leaning back, still focused on the TV. There are beer bottles all over the coffee table, as well as the bottle of wine that Hux is now sharing with Finn. 

‘You’re all set, Finn? I’m going to bed, so,’ Rey says. Finn nods at her. 

‘Yes, absolutely. Thanks, babe!’ he winks at her. ‘You don’t want a nightcap?’ 

Rey smiles but shakes her head. ‘It’s been a long day, it’s bedtime for old me. Night, guys.’ 

The guys bid her good night and she goes to prepare for bed. 

Hopefully Finn being here won’t completely derail the progress she’s made with the guys. All she wants is to be friends with them, to enjoy the comfortable camaraderie of the loft. She just has to keep Finn occupied and away from Poe as much as possible. 

Rey all but melts into her bed, finally able to get some rest. She lets all of the stress and anxiety of the day slip away from her mind as she closes her eyes and fades into a restful sleep. 

~*~

The next morning, Rey wakes up slowly. She feels groggy from the busy week behind her and far too comfortable under her blankets to want to get up any time soon. The plants on her windowsill cast jaunty shadows across her bed and the slightly cracked window lets in a cool breeze from outside. It’s a wonderful, sunny Saturday morning, with just the slightest bite of autumnal air, a crispness that only hints at the colder weather to come. Rey sighs as she rolls over to her back and stretches her entire body, pointing her toes and raising her arms to the air. She lets out a happy sigh and a happy hum. 

The clock on her bedside table reads 8:37AM, so she might as well get up and maybe fix herself and Finn some breakfast. She wants to be a good host, after all! 

Before going to bed last night, Rey had swapped her flannel bottoms for a pair of plaid men’s boxers that on her were high-waisted and stopped mid-thigh. Getting up from bed this morning, she throws on her short pink robe over her pyjamas and shuffles into her house slippers, before ducking into the bathroom to brush her teeth, hopefully avoiding any of the guys before she’s fully awake. But instead of her roommates, when Rey walks into the bathroom, she hears Finn’s famous rendition of “Groove Is In The Heart” from behind the shower curtain. She smiles widely. 

‘Good morning!’ she greets loudly, hoping to be heard over the song and the shower. Finn stops singing. 

‘Morning, babe!’ he says, poking his head out of the curtain. He looks flushed from the, judging by the steam, very hot water. ‘The water pressure here is heaven!’ 

Rey laughs and nods while she puts some toothpaste on her toothbrush. ‘Yes. It’s one of the few redeeming features of a bathroom that has a urinal in it for no known reason.’ 

Finn snorts and goes back in to finish his shower. He shuts off the water before Rey is done brushing her teeth, and she sees his hand poke out to grab his towel. Even if she hadn’t already been completely comfortable with Finn’s body from being friends for fifteen years, after living with three guys at at the same time, Rey feels like she’s completely desensitised to the male physique at this point. 

Well… _mostly_ desensitised, she thinks as she remembers a few weeks back when she’d been sitting on the couch in the rainy late afternoon, enjoying some SVU while savouring a $7 pink wine from Trader Joe’s, and Ben had walked in, soaked to the bone, already shedding layers of clothing as he grumbled his way into the loft. He grumpily pulled his wet black T-shirt over his head, revealing an expanse of creamy skin, dotted with moles and beauty marks like constellations, and solid muscle that had left Rey more than a little twirly. She’d taken an early evening with herself that night. 

Rey shakes her head, realising Finn had been talking while she was deep in her non-PG memories. 

‘I hope I didn’t completely derail your weekend plans,’ he says. Rey finishes brushing her teeth and shakes her head. 

‘No way! I was just gonna mope around doing nothing all day, this is actually perfect.’ She beams at him. ‘I can make us some breakfast and we can have a chill day in, just hanging out? I feel like we only ever go to your clubs these days.’ 

Finn grins widely at her, that megawatt smile that is so charming and makes her heart flutter with affection. ‘Sounds like a plan! It was fun hanging out with the guys last night.’ 

They walk out of the bathroom together after Finn ties a robe around his body. ‘You stayed up late?’ 

‘Not too late, but Poe actually offered to take the sofa so I could sleep in his bed.’ Finn smirks. ‘I kindly refused, of course. He’s a real flirt, huh?’ 

Rey groans. ’Such a flirt! It’s incorrigible!’ Finn chuckles. He stops by her bedroom to change while Rey goes to the kitchen to get their breakfast ready. When she gets there, Ben is already sitting on one of the stools, reading the newspaper and eating a bowl of Apple Jacks. With almond milk, which Rey knows because he’s lactose intolerant like her, so they share the carton of almond milk and take turns replacing it. It’s nice. 

‘Good morning!’ she greets cheerfully. Ben looks away from what he’s reading to smile at her and nod, murmuring a quiet “morning” back.

Rey grabs the eggs from the fridge and some veggies to make a nice omelette for Finn, as well as the box of strawberries she got from the organic food market two blocks away a few days ago, and she’s considering making flapjacks too, when Finn strolls into the kitchen, taking a seat next to Ben. 

‘Morning, morning!’ he greets, patting Ben on the shoulder. 

‘Hey, man,’ Ben says, not really looking away from his paper. He brings a spoon to his mouth. There’s a mug of coffee still steaming next to his bowl. ’There’s some coffee still, if you want,’ he says, directed at Rey. 

‘Thanks, Ben!’ she says. ‘Coffee, Finn?’ 

‘Oh yes, thank you!’ As much as Rey is a cheerful morning person, Finn is a forever-cheerful person. Even though he tends to lean towards being more cynical and more blunt than Rey most of the time, he is never really in a bad mood, things just roll off him like water off a duck’s back. It’s one of the many attractive qualities in Finn, and why he is such a good friend. Rey fills a mug and places it front of Finn, grabbing the regular milk as well as almond from the fridge to put in their respective mugs. 

‘Hey, Ben, I’m making eggs, if you want some? And flapjacks, maybe, if we still have that fancy maple syrup…’ 

Ben shakes his head. ‘It’s fine, Rey, you don’t have to take care of me, you know?’ 

Finn looks over at him amusedly, which prickles the back of Rey’s neck. She knows this is going to be A Thing that they’ll talk about. _Ugh._

‘It’s just breakfast!’ she tries to argue, but it feels as forced as it probably sounds. 

‘I mean, yeah, right now it’s breakfast, but you’re always trying to take care of me, and you don’t have to,’ he says, sounding exasperated but there’s also that softness that rounds the edges of his voice whenever he talks to her. Rey feels herself blushing, so she decides to focus on her eggs, looking away from Ben, but most importantly, away from Finn’s intense gaze. _Double-ugh._

’Your loss, then, sailor,’ she says goofily. Ben snorts behind her. Then he’s at her back, leaning over to place his bowl and spoon in the sink. He feels warm even with the six inches between them, and she can smell his spicy cologne and sharp aftershave. He’s already changed from his sleeping clothes, choosing to go for a short sleeved pale red Henley today, and fitted blue jeans. His hair is all mussed still, from air-drying probably, and he’s got stubble on his chin. 

Not that Rey notices all of that. 

‘All right, I’ve got some work to do,’ he announces, grabbing his mug and turning to leave the kitchen. 

‘Oh, Ben? Where are Poe and Hux?’ she asks before he can leave. Finn is now reading Ben’s discarded newspaper. Or at least pretending to, and not doing an excellent job at it. 

‘Poe’s got that booty-whatever workout this morning, so he’ll be back in, like, an hour? Hux, I don’t know.’ And with that, he half-heartedly waves at them and goes back to his room. 

Rey holds her breath for a beat because she knows exactly what’s coming. 

‘Oh, my GOD!’ exclaims Finn, his voice dripping with mirth. ‘Um, what the fuck?’ 

Rey stirs her eggs in the pan, ignoring him completely. 

‘This knife here?’ Finn says, picking up a knife that is resting on the kitchen island. ‘Would have hard time cutting through the tension. The pure tension!’ 

‘Shove off,’ Rey pleads, staring at her eggs. ‘Finn, seriously.’ 

‘What? Bitch, that boy is into you!’ he all but yells. 

‘Finn! Quiet!’ Rey whispers aggressively.

Finn raises his hands in a sheepish apology. ‘Sorry, sorry. But come on!’ 

‘He does not! We’re friends! I’m just getting these guys to like me, to _trust_ me, and I’m not letting you and your sex-obsessed brain disrupt it!’ 

‘For Christ’s sake, Rey, he’s totally into you! The way he says your name!’ 

‘He says it normal!’ 

‘No, he says it like, _Rey_ ’ Finn argues, dropping his voice a couple of octaves to try to match Ben’s. It does not work. 

‘He’s from Chicago, that’s how people from Chicago say “Rey”, like “Bears” and “I want to go to the Sears tower”,’ Rey explains. Finn scoffs. ‘You just think everyone wants to sleep with each other.’ 

‘Because they do!’ 

‘They do not!’ 

‘You think these guys have never thought about having sex with you? Don’t be naïve,’ Finn says with a raised eyebrow. 

‘No I don’t, we’re just friends!’ 

Finn groans, ‘come on, Rey, even you can’t be that clueless! You’re a hot girl prancing around in your little shorts and your little robes!’ 

‘Shut up.’ 

‘Besides, his feet are always pointing at you.’ 

Now it’s Rey’s turn to scoff, as she places the plate of eggs mixed with red peppers and spinach and sliced strawberries in front of Finn. 

‘So what?’ 

‘Men’s feet point at what they want! It’s a known fact.’ 

‘It is not a known fact.’ 

‘It is too. Source: I’m a man.’ He points at his feet, which are resting on the stool, in a V-shape. ‘My feet? Not pointing at you, because you’re a girl so, yuck.’ 

Rey snorts. ’That is completely ridiculous, I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.’ 

‘You know I’m right!’ 

‘I know nothing of the sort!’

Their argument is interrupted by a flustered Hux rushing into the kitchen, red hair wild and eyes still bleary from sleep. He is hurriedly shrugging into a black denim jacket. He’s dressed in a white shirt, grey chinos and high top Converse sneakers, which is the most casual Hux ever looks outside his work clothes. 

‘Hey, Hux,’ Rey greets, shooting Finn a pointed look. Finn is smirking at her while eating his eggs, and she really wants to smack him over the head with a spoon for being such a smartass. 

‘Yeah, morning,’ he says, grabbing a mug from the drying rack and filling it with coffee, which he downs with a grimace so fast that Rey wonders if he’s burnt his entire digestive tract. ‘Fuck, shit, goddammit,’ he mutters under his breath. 

‘Everything okay?’ asks Rey. She’s now sitting where Ben had been, next to Finn, and munching on her own breakfast. 

‘Yes, no. I’m just fucking late,’ Hux says, washing his empty mug in the sink, then washing Ben’s bowl and spoon, because he can’t really leave anything dirty in the sink, even if he is late, clearly. ‘I’m supposed to meet Rose at this waffle place in half an hour and it’s all across town. I overslept.’ 

‘Too much wine, eh?’ says Finn, wigging eyebrows at Hux, who frowns back at him. Where Poe is flirtatious around Finn, and Ben is amusedly accepting of his particular brand of humour, Hux has always been confused by it. Not that he’s humourless, Hux can be very funny in a dry, sarcastic kind of way, but Finn in his bluntness and suggestiveness, has not managed to break through that wall just yet. Rose would get along famously with Finn, though, Rey knew that already. She really needs to get those two together.

‘Anyway, I have to go. See you later,’ Hux says, running out the door while shoving his phone, wallet and keys into his pockets, hands still moist from washing the dishes. He’s gone almost as quickly as he appeared, like a cloud of nervous energy, which is so incredibly on brand for Hux that Rey almost laughs in his wake. 

After breakfast, Finn offers to clean up so Rey can go get changed for the day. He’s already dressed — a pair of light blue jeans, tapered and rolled at the cuff, a white undershirt and a bright overshirt in black, red, yellow and green stripes, which he left hanging open at the front — though he is still barefoot, and looks breezy and comfortable. It’s a less intense fashion moment for him, for which Rey is grateful because it probably means he’s not planning on going out anytime soon, and she really just wants to veg out and rest from a horrendously busy week. Maybe go get some drinks later, if the mood strikes.

Rey goes into her room and changes into a simple pair of high waisted denim shorts and a cosy jumper, because the weather looks nice and it’s not like she’s going anywhere. She throws her hair in a messy ponytail and pads back out into the living room in her slippers. Finn has finished cleaning up and is now scrolling through his phone on the sofa. Rey joins him and throws an arm around his shoulder. 

‘I saw they added the earlier seasons of The Great British Bake Off on Netflix,’ she says. ‘You in?’

Finn puts his phone down and slaps his hands against his thighs. ‘Hit it, girl!’ 

So they sit comfortably against each other, watching as wholesome British bakers produce the most scrumptious bakes, sometimes firing off commentary. It’s a soft morning that relaxes Rey almost completely, and she is happy to be sharing these moments with her friend. 

~*~

They’re halfway through their second _Bake Off_ episode when Poe comes in. He’s got his AirPods in and barely spares them a glance as he walks in, toes off his sneakers and drops his keys on the table by the door. He’s covered in sweat, his curly hair plastered to his forehead and thick beard glistening with it. On his hand, Poe is carrying a half-empty reusable plastic container with some green juice he only ever drinks after a fancy gym workout. 

‘Hi, Poe,’ greets Rey. Poe removes one of his AirPods and smirks at their direction, winking. 

‘Hello, lovelies,’ he says. He stretches, more for Finn’s benefit than his own, Rey thinks with an eye roll. It sort of works though because she catches Finn casting an appreciative glance up Poe’s compact body. Where Ben is tall and broad, covered in solid muscle, Poe is smaller in stature, still quite muscular, though his musculature is carefully sculpted, from hours targeting specific groups to accentuate and tone. Rey wonders when she started comparing every man’s body to Ben’s. She also wonders how creepy that is. Probably quite a lot. She shakes the thoughts away. 

‘Good class?’ she asks, pausing the show on the TV. 

‘Oh, yes,’ Poe says, leaning against the wall.He’s too sweaty to sit anywhere, Rey imagines, and Hux would have a fit if he found out any of them were putting their sweaty bodies on furniture. Poe takes a sip from his green juice. ‘Burns so good,’ he adds with a wink. 

Rey snorts and Finn smirks next to her. ‘I’ll bet,’he says. _Oh god, here we go_ Rey thinks. But before they can go any further with their flirting, Ben comes out of his room and nearly walks right into Poe’s sweaty back. 

‘Don’t just stand on the hallway, man,’ he grumbles. Poe shrugs and continues to stand on the hallway, still sipping his juice and staring at Finn with a raised brow. ‘I have to run to the pharmacy, does anyone need anything?’ he asks the room, though his eyes are on Rey. 

She’s about to say no, but Finn interrupts her. ‘Oh yeah, Rey you need to go grab that thing, right?’ he gives her a pointed look and she stared back at him confusedly. 

_What?_ she mouths. Finn widens his eyes and purses his mouth, another significant look. Thinking back to their breakfast conversation, Rey sighs. 

‘O..kay,’ Ben says slowly.

‘Yeah, Rey can go with you, right, Rey?’ Finn says, throwing an arm around her shoulder and squeezing hard. Ben raises a confused eyebrow at the two of them but nods. 

‘That’s fine, I’m leaving in five minutes, you’ll be ready?’ he asks. Rey glares at Finn. 

‘Yup,’ she says between gritted teeth, tearing her angry gaze away from her friend to smile sheepishly at Ben. ‘You sure it’s okay?’ 

‘Of course.’ He then goes back down the hall into his room. Poe snorts by the corridor. 

‘Gonna hop in the shower, see you in a bit.’ He winks at Finn and walks away. As soon as he’s gone, Rey turns sharply to Finn. 

‘What are you doing!?’ she whisper-yells desperately. ‘We talked about this!’ 

‘I’m just trying to help you! And if that gets me some alone time with hunky boy over there, all the better.’ 

‘Finn!’ 

‘Nothing’s gonna happen, I promise. Flirting is fun, though. You should give it a go.’

‘Ugh, I hate you!’ She glares at him. 

‘You ready, Rey?’ asks Ben as he walks out of his room. He’s now wearing shoes, a pair of beat up black Vans, and is putting his wallet into his jeans pocket. Rey sputters, but nods. 

‘Just a second, bro,’ she says, stupidly, and wants very much to get on the first bus to Canada and disappear forever under a new identity. 

‘Did you just call me “bro”?’ asks Ben, amusement and confusion lacing his voice. Finn snorts next to her, earning himself a surreptitious slap from Rey. 

’Hm, yeah.’ She stands and goes into her room to grab her sneakers and purse. She’s back quickly, and catches Finn sticking his tongue out at her while Ben plays with his car keys, unaware of the silent spat between Rey and Finn. ‘Ready!’ 

‘Cool, let’s head.’ Ben opens the door for her, and Rey is sure she hears Finn say “have fun!” before the door closes behind them. 

//*\\\ 

Poe Dameron is in love. 

Well, maybe not in love, but he _is_ deeply infatuated with the beautiful man currently sun-bathing on the roof. His glistening skin, dark as midnight, so soft and strong, and _oh dear Lord, I must have him_ , Poe thinks. 

After Ben and Rey left on their little shopping trip to the pharmacy (like you need two people to go to the pharmacy), and Poe finished his shower, he asked Finn if he wanted to hang out on the roof of their building to take in the nice weather, enjoy the last few strands of sunlight before Fall came in full force. The roof is nice — they put some patio chairs out there, a picnic table, some plants, made it a cool place to hang out — and is even better now, with Finn’s beautiful, shirtless body on display. 

Finn is leaning back, one arm thrown over his head, stylish sunglasses perched on his nose. He looks positively delicious, and what Poe wouldn’t give to run this tongue all over that torso. Those abs, the V of his pelvic bones, the faint trail of hair disappearing into the waistband of his shorts. And those legs! Thick and muscular, a thin layer of dark hair covering mostly his calves, which are shapely and defined. 

Taking a deep breath, Poe forces himself to look away. He knows he doesn’t look bad himself. He works hard on his body, and is confident in his good looks. Besides, he’s seduced and pleasured enough people to know what he’s capable of. But this feeling is new. Feeling this besotted doesn’t sit well with him, who has never dated anyone longer than a few weeks. He’s a self-proclaimed player. He enjoys sex with multiple partners (often at once.)

Finn is different though. Poe has yet to really spent any significant amount of time with him, as he is often accompanied by Rey, who has been adamant that Poe “leave her best friend alone” and “don’t be such a flirt,” which even on recollection makes Poe want to roll his eyes. Whenever Finn is around, it’s usually to help Rey with something, or to meet with Rey to go out somewhere. So this is precious time, time he can spent putting his effort in, to finally close. 

‘So how’s the photography business going?’ asks Poe, in an attempt to break the tense silence between them. It’s tense because they both know what’s happening — Poe has certainly made enough moves when Rey wasn’t around for Finn to be aware how he feels, at least physically, and he keeps being rejected. Finn keeps him at arm’s length, though he always indulges him a little bit, giving him just a hint of that charm back. And it is intoxicating, to have those deep chocolate eyes focused entirely on him, those thick, wide lips smirking at him, and one strong, camera-calloused hand on his shoulder. 

On the chair next to his, Finn shrugs, unperturbed. He has this inherent coolness about him that translates into his stylish, carefree fashion, and his ability for aloofness which would be impressive if it weren’t so infuriating. ‘Pretty good. I’ve got an exhibit coming up at Camerwork next month, so.’ 

Poe doesn’t know what Camerawork is — he is admittedly not super invested in art, never has been, but especially these days, what with working 80-hour weeks. But even back in Chicago, he was always more interested in sports, aviation, mechanics. He would spend hours with Han at the garage looking at engines, talking shop, sneaking a couple of beers which Leia definitely knew about but pretended not do. 

Still, it must be important, because under all that aloofness, under the cool demeanor, Finn has a proud glow, a slight upturn of his mouth. He looks handsome, beautiful under the sunshine, sure of himself, confident. 

‘That’s cool, man, well done,’ Poe says. ‘Do I get an invite?’ he asks suggestively. He’s leaning towards Finn, legs turned in his direction. His chin is propped up by his hand, elbow resting on the arm of the lawn chair. It’s an uncomfortable position for sure, but this way he can see all of Finn, that compact body of his, completely mouth-watering. Finn chuckles beside him, a resonating laugh deep in his belly, and Poe can see an eyebrow raising from behind his sunglasses. 

‘Maybe, maybe not. I guess you’ll have to wait and see, huh?’ he shoots back, and Poe could die right then and there. 

He really is in love. 

~*~

The drive to the pharmacy is uneventful. Ben had to readjust his seat and mirror from the previous day when Rey borrowed his car, but did so without comment. He also swapped the tape on the player for a Pixies tape. He hummed along to the songs as he drove them, and Rey just sat back and enjoyed the low rumble of his voice in the background of “Here Comes Your Man”. 

‘How long is Finn staying?’ he asks, startling Rey whose mind was a million miles away. She coughs to cover up her surprise. 

‘Just the weekend, he said his landlady is having an exterminator come in today,’ she explains. ‘I hope it’s okay, I know I didn’t ask you guys or anything, but—‘ 

‘It’s fine, I was just curious. Don’t sweat it,’ he chuckles, a roguish smirk on his lips as he briefly glances in her direction. Rey smiles back at him. ‘Cockroaches, though. Yuck.’ 

Rey laughs and nods in agreement. 

‘Right?! Just the thought of it!’ She shudders.

He hums along, tapping his fingers to the tune of the song coming off the speakers. Ben is an extremely musical person. He’s got band posters on the walls of his room — The Black Keys, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac — and rows of vinyls on the corner by his bed, under his record player. And whenever he’s on his computer, he wears headphones — sometimes he’s got his music on so loud that Rey can make out the lyrics. Poe has told her about the various musical festivals he and Ben had gone to in their youth, and how Ben thinks Coachella is played out now that it’s attended mostly by Instagram influencers. 

They arrive to the pharmacy soon enough, and Rey offers to pay for the meter since Ben drove them. 

‘What are you getting?’ Rey asks, pointing at the list in Ben’s hand. His other hand is his pocket. The sleeves of his T-shirt strain against the muscles of his biceps. 

‘Pain killers and motion sickness meds. I’m heading to Chicago for Rosh Hashanah next week,’ he explains. ‘Ibuprofen is essential if I have to to spend more than two hours with my parents.’ 

Rey nods sympathetically. Ben rarely talks about his family, but she’s gathered enough from Poe’s casual conversations about life back in Chicago to assume it’s a strained relationship at best. 

‘Figured we might as well stock up on toothpaste since we’re here,’ Ben continues. He’s carrying their basket. Rey wonders what they look like next to each other in this pharmacy on a Saturday morning. Picture perfect domesticity, she imagines. Him all understanding, gentle and tall, holding the basket for her as she grabs that toothpaste they like. Her looking up at him to ask a question or make a silly joke about the weird baby on the toilet paper packaging. It’s almost too much, especially after Finn’s comments in the kitchen, his wiggling eyebrows, that she is desperately trying to forget because this is _Ben_ , her, yes, very handsome, but also so incredibly sweet roommate, who has been so nice to her, who has been her friend almost since she moved in, and she can’t ruin that! She can’t let Finn’s nonsense about pointing feet and Chicago accents let her start thinking things, because there’s nothing there! It’s friendship, dammit, and she treasures it so much. 

Rey fiddles with a bottle of mouthwash and stares at Ben, who is turned away from her, on the counter asking for a specific brand of ibuprofen he prefers because “with my mom, you need the over the counter shit.” His back is broad and strong, muscles outlined by the thin, well-worn fabric of his probably-too-old T-shirt that is just tight enough that Rey guesses it’s from his younger years, when he was less bulky, more of the scrawny CompSci student she imagines he used to be. He turns back once he’s got his meds, feet pointing straight at Rey’s direction. She blushes hard and her heart hammers inside her chest. 

_No no no no, stop it, you idiot! This is just Finn’s ridiculous ideas worming their way into your head_ , she thinks to herself. Ben walks over to her and offers the basket for her to put the bottle of mouthwash into. She doesn’t actually _need_ mouthwash, but it’s better than admitting she’d just been playing with the bottle for no reason. 

‘Anything else?’ Ben asks absent-mindedly, looking between his written list and the basket. They have four tubes of toothpaste (the Colgate that was on sale, 2 for 1), Ben’s meds, a bottle of Old Spice and a sixpack of Dove soap, which is also on sale, that is Rey’s favorite to shave with. And now, the bottle of cool mint Listerine mouthwash that Rey felt she had to buy if only to justify her presence in this shopping trip. 

‘Might as well get some toilet paper since we’re here, right?’ she asks. Ben hums in agreement and grabs a pack from the opposite wall. He then grabs a box of tissues ‘because allergy season is never over when you’ve got a nose this big,’ Ben says in a self-deprecating manner, and Rey wants to protest — there’s nothing wrong with his nose, it’s beautiful and Patrician, and he should be proud of it. But that would be weird. Because who defends their roommate/friend’s nose so passionately? 

Soon, they are done with shopping. Ben insists on paying, claiming most of the things are his anyway. Rey feels a little bad, because he’s a bartender and she’s a teacher, so neither of them are really rolling in it, at least not like Poe and Hux probably are — not that she’s gone around asking what her roommates make. After Ben pays, they walk back to the car (and Rey takes the bags from Ben, ignoring his protests, “if you’re paying, I’m carrying, buddy!”) and are all set to go back to the loft. 

‘You and Finn got any plans for today?’ Ben asks. His right hand is loosely grasping the stick shift while he’s got his left elbow propped on the open window of the car, fingers tapping on the wheel. He has put on his Ray-Bans, looking both unusually carefree and insanely cool. How can Ben simultaneously be the grumpiest boy with the most old man personality and the coolest guy in his flannels and boots and sunglasses gracefully perched on the bridge of his stately nose? Rey groans inwardly as she glances at him. Damn Finn for putting stupid ideas in her head. Damn Finn all the way to hell! 

‘I was actually thinking of inviting Rose over for some drinks? I think she and Finn would get along,’ Rey says. Ben snorts. 

‘Oh yeah, definitely.’ Rey can see the smile lines on the corner of his eyes as he stares ahead at the road. He’s smirking. ‘Birds of a feather, those two.’ 

Rey giggles. ‘I thought so too! Should I text her now? Or should I ask Hux first?’ 

Ben huffs. ‘Hux is not her keeper. Besides, she was my friend before she and Hux ever got… involved, or whatever it is they are, I don’t even know,’ he says grumpily. Rey smiles at his possessiveness over his and Rose’s friendship. She sometimes feels the same way about Finn, getting annoyed when people assume they are not as close as they actually are. Besides, she knows Ben supports Rose and Hux’s relationship — in fact, he has often said he wishes they would figure it the fuck out already. 

‘Why are they not actually together? I’m afraid of asking Hux, to be honest.’ 

Ben shrugs with a deep, irritated sigh. ‘Rose has never really been into labeling relationships with the people she dates, and then after college they started working together, so making it official was going to be, I don’t know, way _too official_? They have to, like, sign forms and shit. So they’ve just been skirting around whatever they are, sleeping together, occasionally going on dates with other people, even though they are clearly crazy about each other,’ he explains. ‘I’ve tried talking to both of them, but there’s a reason they’re perfect for each other, they’re both stubborn as hell. You try getting either Rose or Hux to do anything they don’t want to do. And more often than not, the thing is “admitting their very obvious feelings and stop being a fucking nuisance already”.’ He finishes with an annoyed huff. ‘Anyway.’ 

Rey chuckles, twirling a strand of hair that came loose from her ponytail with her finger. ‘So what I’m getting from you is that… they’re very annoying?’ 

Ben barks a laugh and nods. ‘I mean, I love them, but yes. Poe calls them the Ross-and-Rachel of the loft, I call them a pain in the ass.’ Rey chokes out another laugh at that, and Ben smiles at her, almost smugly, for having made her laugh. 

Thing is, Ben makes her laugh all the time. He is so grumpy in just the best way, like Harrison Ford or Walter Matthau, which is comforting and attractive, and sometimes he’ll say the oddest things in such a serious way that she can’t help but laugh. But Ben is rarely _trying_ explicitly to be funny, so he always looks mighty pleased with himself when he startles a laugh out of her. 

//*\\\

’Are you serious?’ Armitage Hux asks, folding his arms while he waits for the valet to come back with his car. He and Rose are standing outside the restaurant where they just had breakfast, and she’s just told him about her date tomorrow night. With Kaydel. From bloody _Tinder_. 

‘Don’t be like that, Armie. We’ve gone over this…’ Rose hugs her midsection. She looks so beautiful today, radiant a white sundress that hits her right above the knee and shows off her slim shoulders. She’s wearing flat sandals with her outfit, so their height difference is even more prominent than usual, when she chooses to go for her tall heels. Her hair is down, cascading over her shoulders in all its dark, wavy glory, and Hux is suddenly struck with the want to run his hands through it. 

Hux sighs inwardly, ashamed at his weakness around Rose, his inability to either keep her or let her go, his devotion bordering on obsession, which leaves them both in this romantic limbo. They are both together and not together, like Schrödinger’s relationship.

‘I just. I don’t want to be tied down, I’m not ready to settle yet,’ Rose says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. She’s wearing the rose gold leaf-shaped earrings he got her for Christmas. ‘We can stop this whenever you want, if it’s not good for you, you know that. I don’t want you to be unhappy — I love you, Armie.’ 

The valet arrives with his Tesla. As the man gets out of the car, Hux walks to the other side to open the door for Rose. She gives him a small thankful smile and folds herself into the car. Hux closes the door and goes to the driver’s side, adjusting the mirror to his liking — valets always mess up with his settings — and pulls away from the curb. 

‘I love you too, Rose,’ Hux finally says, resigned, after they’d been on the road for a few minutes. The silence between them is contemplative, not quite uncomfortable, but there is a tension thrumming under the surface that leaves Hux on edge. He hates these conversations with Rose. If only there was a way to just… keep her. To shake her by the shoulders and make her see that they were It. That _this_ , this thing between them, was amazing, and they could be so happy together. They could go on actual dates, she could be his girlfriend, maybe even his wife, they could move into a house together, start a family. ‘It’s fine, of course it is,’ he says, instead. Smiling tightly at her, he squeezes her knee lightly, then moves his hand back to the wheel at 9 and 3, focused on the road ahead. 

‘You never know, if Kaydel’s cool, maybe you could join us sometime,’ Rose suggests with a wink, that playful smile dancing on her red-tinted lips. Her eyes are sparkling against the sunlight coming through the window. Hux huffs through his nose. 

‘Good luck putting that idea out there, I doubt a girl that matched with you on bloody Tinder is going to want anything to do with a lanky ginger,’ he mutters, to Rose’s amusement. She laughs breezily with him, and rests a hand on his shoulder, playing with the hair on his nape that is getting far too long, but she likes it, so he keeps it. Like the lovesick idiot he is. ‘Loft?’ 

‘Yes! I’m ready to keep drinking, do you think I can convince Ben to make me a frozen margarita?’ 

Hux snorts. ‘I don’t think Jay Cutler himself could convince Ben to make a margarita on his day off, babe.’ Rose laughs happily again, and Hux thinks maybe this is okay. 

~*~

The sun is shining, a light breeze from the Bay making the air light and crisp, and the tree leaves are only beginning to turn orange. It’s a beautiful Saturday, and Rey will not let that lingering anxiety at the back of her mind take hold. It doesn’t matter what Finn thinks, and she is fully prepared to completely disregard the treacherous butterflies at the pit of her stomach. 

On the short drive back to the loft, Rey tries her hardest to just let these feelings wash over her as she and Ben fall again into another of their comfortable silences. She’s got her hands between her legs, trying to make herself small in this giant car fit for this giant man. Ben seems unaware of her mental crisis, he taps his fingers gently to the music on the tape player and very quietly hums along. He’s staring straight ahead, focused on the road, but his jaw is ever-so-slightly set, which makes Rey wonder if he’s got something on his mind. 

She’s so deep in thought and self denial that she barely notices when Ben pulls over to his usual parking spot at the back of their building. Her thoughts are sharply disturbed when Ben opens the door to the backseat behind her to grab their shopping bags (canvas totes that Rey had made all the boys keep in their cars for shopping purposes, in an effort to use fewer plastic bags — Poe always seems to forget them, but she’s noticed happily that Ben and Hux are very diligent about the bags.) Startled from her own mind, Rey nearly jumps in her seat, and scrambles to get out of the car before Ben notices something is wrong. 

Not that anything _is_ wrong. It’s that, well… Finn has this way of saying things that just make so much sense, and Rey cannot be thinking about these things. About the possibility that Ben could be interested in her. What would that mean for the loft dynamic? For their friendship? And does _she_ even like him back? (Yes, probably, considering all these ridiculous thoughts she’s been having and trying so so hard to ignore.) 

But she just broke up with Beau three months ago, she hasn’t had a single date since then — she’s just not ready to jump into anything. And from what Rey gathers, Ben is sort of on the same boat. He’s not making strides in the dating world either, though Rey has noticed he seems more open to flirtation from cute girls at the bar. 

Not that she cares. 

She doesn’t. Care, that is. 

Rey shakes her head, trying so hard to exorcise these thoughts from her mind, because she’d been doing so well before Finn had to come and stick his nose in all this. She’d been happily avoiding her twirly feelings for her rugged, gruff, scruffy, grumpy roommate. 

After so many years in a terribly unfulfilling relationship, Rey had become queen of denial. So, yeah. There’s that. 

‘You texted Rose yet?’ asks Ben as he opens the door to the building for her. He’s carrying their bags on one hand, holding the door open with the other. He’s taken off his sunglasses too, they’re now hanging from the collar of his Henley. 

Rey shakes her head. ‘When we get home,’ she says. He nods. They walk to the elevator and wait. And it suddenly feels awkward. It feels awkward for her. Has she made it awkward? Oh, God, this is awful, she hates these insidious thoughts in her mind. The way he’s looking at her with a raised brow as they wait for the elevator — he knows something’s up. 

‘You okay, Rey?’ he asks, and he says her name the way people from Chicago say Rey. Except Poe is from Chicago too, and he doesn’t say her name like that. _Rey_ , a little low, tongue curling around that one syllable so softly. It’s impossible to describe Ben’s voice — sometimes it’s so unbelievably low, but then it rises a couple of octaves around certain vowels. And his giggles are so high pitched, when Hux does something stupid or when Rey says something funny. He rarely laughs so openly though, rarely even smiles openly, with parted lips and bared teeth, and Rey wonders if it’s because he looks a little goofy, a little less like the imposing mountain of broodiness he has curated as his personal aesthetic. But when he does, it lights up the room, it cuts through the fog like the beam from a lighthouse. 

More thoughts to put away in a locked box to never look at, ever. Instead, Rey nods shakily. ‘Yeah, definitely. Just thinking about what to make for lunch. Maybe order out.’ 

Ben looks unconvinced, but lets go. He shrugs and leans back, resting his shoulder on the wall of the elevator that takes them up to the fourth floor. 

‘Um, do you have more work to do?’ she asks, attempting to find away out of the awkwardness, tugging a loose thread from her jumper between her fingers. 

‘Nah. This week at the bar fucking killed me,’ he says, voice cracking, betraying how tired he feels. 

Rey nods in commiseration. It’d been a tough week for all of them. Her students had been misbehaving left and right, not handing in assignments, talking back, making her life extra hard. Ben had picked up extra shifts at the bar, which apparently had been super busy the whole week. Both Hux and Poe had been pulling insane hours at work, especially Poe who must have worked over 80 hours this week. 

‘I know the feeling. I just want to chill out with a glass of wine and my knitting!’ 

Ben chuckles and nods.

The reach their floor and Rey grabs her keys from her little bag to let them in. 

Remembering the air of flirtation between Poe and Finn when they left earlier, Rey cringes internally as she opens the door, really hoping those two didn’t actually get up to anything while they’d been out. 

’They’re gonna be fucking on the sofa, aren’t they?’ mutters Ben behind her, which is truly so shocking that Rey can’t help the hysterical bubble of laughter that erupts from her chest. A shriek of a giggle followed by a chest laugh that has her bowled over, leaning on the doorjamb for support. Ben snorts and laughs behind her, and Rey figures it out. He noticed the weird tension she had brought upon them since the car and decided making her laugh would cut through it, smash it to pieces and bring them back to normal. 

It works. 

Rey is beaming at him, still giggling, when they walk through the door. Ben is smiling too, though more quietly. He places the bags on the floor by the door and throws his keys on the table. 

Inside the loft, they hear glasses clinking and muffled laughter. Rey raises her eyebrows at Ben, who shrugs. 

‘Finn?’ Rey asks, walking further into the apartment to find Rose and Finn giggling together like old chums, just as predicted, at the dining table, Hux next to Rose staring at her softly, and a sulking Poe leaning against the bar stool by the kitchen island, holding a mug of coffee.

‘Rey’s home!’ exclaims Finn, excitedly. 

‘Ben!’ shrieks Rose at the same time. They look at each other and burst into laughter. Are they drunk?

‘Are you drunk?’ asks Ben, voicing her thoughts, amusedly. He’s standing next to her, the shopping totes on his hands once more. His eyes are soft as he stares at their friends. 

‘Not yet,’ teases Rose. ‘But I could be very soon!’ 

‘It’s not even noon yet,’ mutters Poe, looking between Rose and Finn. Hux’s eyes are dancing with laughter as he looks up at Rose adoringly. She’s got a hand on his shoulder. They look so nice together. 

‘Brunch drinks, obviously, you big party pooper!’

‘Now there’s something no one’s ever called Poe before,’ snorts Hux. Finn grins at Poe’s direction. 

‘I’ll bet,’ he says with a wink, which seems to placate Poe’s mood slightly, and he almost smiles. 

Those two will be the death of her for sure, Rey thinks.

Rey walks over to sit next to Finn, hugging his shoulders tightly. Ben stays in place, eyes narrow as he looks at Rose. 

‘I am not making you a fucking margarita, Rose, forget it.’ 

‘Boo! You suck, Solo!’ 

‘Not making me want to make you a margarita any more, Tico,’ Ben mutters, in that grumpy-amused way he gets, when he’s obviously trying so hard to be annoyed but can’t quite get there. Rey smiles at him. 

‘Eleven am margs sound amazing, though! After this horrible trash fire week?’ Rey laughs. Finn pulls at the tip of her ponytail. 

‘Yas, girl!’

‘I’m sure you can find some trendy Bayside bar selling overpriced brunch frozen margaritas,’ says Ben, placing the shopping totes on the credenza behind the sofa. ‘And I am not mixing another drink until Monday night.’ 

Poe barks a laugh on the kitchen, drinking his coffee with a shrug. 

‘Well, this has been fun, kids, but I have a pile of depositions with my name on it,’ he says good-naturedly, looking pointedly at Finn. ’See ya.’ 

Finn smiles at him and winks, and Rey suppresses an eye roll. She’ll need to talk to Finn about toying with Poe, just because he’s a player, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have feelings. And Finn can be a bit of a player too. Poe refills his coffee mug and waves at them, walking towards his room with another goodbye. Ben pats his shoulder as Poe walks by him. 

‘I’m gonna head in too,’ he says. ’Those dungeons are not gonna explore themselves.’ 

’Nerd!’ Poe yells from his bedroom door, and they all laugh. 

‘Last chance to join the party, Benjamin!’ says Rose. 

‘As tempting as it is to do what I get paid to do for free, I’ll pass this time, thanks.’ Ben grins. He waves at them and goes into this room. Rey misses him instantly.

‘The four of us, then?’ Rose asks, looking around the dining table. 

‘Absolutely!’ 

‘I know a cool drag queen brunch spot at the Castro,’ adds Finn. 

‘You go,’ says Hux. ‘That’s not really my scene.’ 

‘Aw, you big baby,’ chuckles Rose. ‘I’ll come back and we can hang out tonight, okay?’ 

Hux smiles at her and nods. 

‘Let me just go and change!’ says Finn, heading to Rey’s bedroom. Rose says she’ll go get freshened up too before they leave, heading into Hux’s room. Alone in the living room for the next few minutes, Rey wanders across to Ben’s room, hovering outside his door for a few beats, before knocking on the door and poking her head in. 

‘You busy?’ she asks. He’s sitting by his computer, headphones hanging from his neck. His shoes are off and he’s changed into those grey sweatpants he seems to live in whenever he’s home. His feet are bare, they’re huge, masculine but oddly delicate, with long, slender toes. He shakes his head at her. 

‘No, what’s up?’ 

Rey shuffles in awkwardly. ‘Um, well. I just wanted to say— thanks. It was fun today. And, hm, sorry, for the awkward there at the end. I don’t know what came over me,’ she says. Okay, that last part is a lie, she knows exactly why it was awkward, but _he_ doesn’t need to. Ben simply shrugs again, his trademark move. 

‘No worries,’ he says with a lopsided grin. ‘Besides, you’re awkward about stuff half the time anyway,’ he adds, not unkindly. Like that’s something he likes about her. Rey feels her cheeks heat up. 

‘Well, anyway. Thanks, and sorry. And, yeah. All that.’ She groans. ‘Ugh, awkward again,’ she says, pointing her two index fingers at herself. ‘Here she is.’ 

Ben chuckles, smiling warmly at her. ’There she is.’ 

‘Rey, you coming!’ Finn yells from the living room, startling both Rey and Ben. She scrambles for her bearings, grabs the door handle behind her. 

‘Okay, yeah. I’m heading out. See you later?’ 

He nods. ’See ya later, kid.’ 

She smiles again at him and leaves, her heart beating so hard in her chest she swears everyone can hear it. 

In the living room, Rose and Finn are giggling together. When she joins them, Rose links their arms together and drags them all out. 

‘I ordered the Lyft. First round on me, ladies!’ 

‘Oh, we’re gonna be friends, I can tell already,’ laughs Finn. Rey feels her cheeks strain from her smile as she gets pulled out of the loft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! please leave a comment or a kudos if you feel like it, also follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/writingquill1) for upload updates and general stream of consciousness. hit me up! say hi! 
> 
> also feel free to check out my [pinterest](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/marianamorearte/boards/) for all of the fanfic boards i've created. i'm also on [spotify](https://open.spotify.com/user/1128354252?si=QHyo_lpBSauHvuXH5fSEmg)! 
> 
> again, thanks for reading, i'll try to get the next chapter out ASAP, in the meantime, stay safe and healthy xx


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